Apple has criticised the plan of the UK to open up mobile platforms to more competition, warning that such regulations could put users at risk, reduce innovation, and force the company to share its technology with rivals.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is considering giving Apple and Google Strategic Market Status, under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC), a designation that would allow it to set new rules on how their platforms work.
If the CMA goes ahead, Apple could be required to make its ecosystem more open, from interoperability mandates that would let third-party apps plug into its digital wallet or smartwatch features, to anti-steering rules enabling developers to bypass Apple’s App Store payments system.
Transparency obligations for search rankings and app review processes are also under consideration.
Apple says such measures are dangerous. “We’re concerned these EU-style rules the UK is advancing are bad for users and bad for developers,” a company spokesperson said.
“This approach undermines the privacy and security protections our users have come to expect, hampers our ability to innovate, and forces us to give away our technology for free to foreign competitors.”
The iPhone maker argues that if the UK authority opens the gates with such regulations, it would weaken security, leaving Apple users more exposed to scams, while also damaging investment in new technologies.
It has also questioned the evidence the CMA is relying on, pointing to what it sees as limited feedback from developers.
But the regulator has objected to suggestions that it is simply copying Europe’s playbook. A CMA spokesperson said: “Driving greater competition on mobile platforms need not undermine privacy, security or intellectual property.”
Officials argue that the UK’s approach is narrower than the EU’s Digital Markets Act, focusing on targeted areas such as wallets and wearable devices, rather than broad platform access.
Epic Games Chief Tim Sweeney described Britain’s app market as “a Soviet supermarket” and criticised regulators for moving too slowly in mandating alternatives to Apple’s App Store.
A coalition of firms, including Spotify and Epic, continues to lobby for stronger intervention, arguing that Apple’s rules choke innovation and suppress competition.
Beyond the tech sector, with the UK’s fintech industry valued at £18 billion and its mobile gaming market worth over £2 billion, access to dominant platforms has become an economic concern.
Globally, the issue is also political, the White House has objected to foreign attempts to rein in U.S. technology firms, with former President Trump threatening tariffs on countries that, in his words, “discriminate against American technology.”
The CMA is expected to deliver its final decision in October 2025.
