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. 

Epic Games, the studio behind Fortnite, confirmed that Apple is blocking the app from being listed or updated on iPhones, both through the U.S. App Store and its own game store recently launched in the EU.

Just weeks after Epic secured a legal win that prevents Apple from forcing developers to use its in-app payment system, previously subject to a steep 30% commission, Apple is now refusing to approve new versions of Fortnite for iOS devices.

It’s a big counter, considering the regulatory spotlight currently fixed on Big Tech’s gatekeeping.

Epic tried to resubmit Fortnite to the U.S. App Store on May 9, 2025. Apple did nothing for a week. No approval, no rejection, no explanation. For Epic, that’s a problem. 

The company runs a weekly update cycle for Fortnite, pushing out fresh content simultaneously across all platforms. A delay on one platform disrupts the whole chain. So, Epic pulled the submission and resubmitted a newer version on May 14.

By Friday morning, Epic had seen enough. “Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it,” the official Fortnite account posted on X. 

Apple’s silence isn’t just a delay, but a blockade. The tech giant has said nothing, and Epic hasn’t offered details about the exact cause either. 

The two firms have been having legal issues since 2020, when Epic accused Apple of anti-competitive behaviour. That fight has now spilled across jurisdictions, dragging in U.S. courts and European regulators under the Digital Markets Act.

It’s worth noting that Apple only let Fortnite back into the App Store in 2023, after EU pressure. They also approved Epic’s own app marketplace for iPhones and iPads in the bloc. But goodwill appears to have evaporated.

Epic’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, has long spoken about Apple’s control over iOS. His issue this time centres on the company’s need for timely updates. Without them, Epic says, players are left behind, and the Fortnite experience collapses across platforms.

As of now, users across all regions are cut off. No updates, no new installs, and no timeline for when or if Apple will reverse its decision.

The tech company filed its appeal with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, aiming to overturn a decision that could alter how developers operate within its iOS ecosystem.

The appeal comes in response to U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ April 30 decision, which held Apple in contempt for defying a 2021 injunction. 

The original order was intended to prevent Apple from obstructing app developers from directing users to alternative, often cheaper, payment options outside the App Store.

Judge Gonzalez Rogers did not mince words in her ruling. “Apple sought to maintain a revenue stream worth billions in direct defiance of this court’s injunction,” she wrote. She refused Apple’s request to pause the enforcement of her decision, accusing the company of deliberate noncompliance and misleading conduct.

The judge referred Apple and one of its senior executives to the U.S. Department of Justice for a possible criminal contempt investigation—an unusual escalation in corporate litigation that signals the severity of the court’s view on Apple’s conduct.

Apple has rejected the court’s claims, asserting that its App Store rules were not in violation of the injunction and are aimed at ensuring safety and maintaining user trust. In its notice of appeal, Apple did not publicly disclose its full legal reasoning but confirmed that it would challenge the contempt finding in detail.

At the core of the case is a 2020 lawsuit filed by Epic Games, creator of Fortnite, which accused Apple of monopolistic behaviour by restricting developers’ access to third-party payment systems and charging what it described as unreasonable fees. 

The company claimed that Apple’s policies gave it unfair control over app distribution and in-app commerce on iPhones and iPads.

Following the contempt ruling, Apple was ordered to eliminate new practices that the judge deemed obstructive. This included a controversial 27% commission imposed on developers when users completed purchases outside the App Store—a tactic the court viewed as undermining the spirit of the original injunction. 

The judge also banned the use of warning prompts, often labelled “scare screens,” which Apple displayed to dissuade users from using alternative payment options.

The ruling has triggered immediate ripple effects across the tech industry. Companies such as Spotify, which had long criticised Apple’s grip on app payments, are reportedly adjusting their in-app user experiences to embrace the new legal framework and allow external payments.

Neither Apple nor Epic Games responded to media inquiries at the time of filing this report.

The outcome of this appeal carries significant implications for the digital economy. Should Apple fail to overturn the ruling, the decision could reshape how major platforms manage their app marketplaces, setting a precedent that other jurisdictions may follow. 

Meanwhile, the prospect of a criminal contempt probe adds further issues to Apple’s legal standing.

The court ruling mandates that Apple allow apps to link users to external websites where they can make purchases, bypassing Apple’s App Store fees. The decision comes after years of court cases, notably with Epic Games, which brought the issue to light in 2020.

In a recent update, Apple confirmed it was complying with the court’s orders, acknowledging the legal changes in its App Review Guidelines.

“The App Review Guidelines have been updated for compliance with a United States court decision regarding buttons, external links, and other calls to action in apps,” Apple stated in a blog post.

This change follows a ruling that requires Apple to stop interfering with apps’ abilities to direct users to external payment systems, a move that will disrupt Apple’s longstanding 30% commission fee.

This case began when Epic Games challenged Apple’s monopoly on in-app transactions. In 2021, Epic won a key injunction, compelling Apple to open up its platform by allowing developers to link to external sites where users could complete purchases.

Apple fought back with appeals, and although it allowed limited external links last year, it still imposed a 27% commission and added what critics called “scare screens” to deter users from using external payment methods.

Now, however, with this week’s ruling, those scare tactics are gone. Apple has been instructed to stop displaying any warnings designed to dissuade users from using external payment systems.

This includes removing guidelines on how links and buttons should be presented. It’s a massive blow to Apple’s control over digital transactions, especially since it now faces the challenge of finding ways to compete on an even playing field with other payment services.

Spotify, another company embroiled in a similar battle with Apple, has already acted on the new ruling. The music streaming service has submitted a version of its app that includes links allowing users to purchase subscriptions directly from Spotify’s website, bypassing Apple’s commission.

Despite the ruling, Apple is not satisfied. “We strongly disagree with the decision. We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal,” the company said in a statement, making it clear that it will continue its fight in court.

However, this ruling could have far-reaching consequences for Apple’s dominance in the app market. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney called the decision “a significant win for developers and consumers” and celebrated the return of Fortnite to iOS for the first time in over four years.

With this ruling, Apple’s monopoly on in-app payments has been broken, and the playing field has changed, allowing developers more freedom. 

The tech giant plans to present its case before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, seeking to overturn a jury verdict and subsequent judicial order that found its Play Store operations violated antitrust laws.

In 2020, Epic Games, the developer behind “Fortnite,” filed a lawsuit against Google, alleging that the company monopolised app distribution and in-app payment systems on Android devices. 

A San Francisco jury sided with Epic in 2023, concluding that Google’s techniques unlawfully suppressed competition. Following the verdict, U.S. District Judge James Donato instructed Google to implement measures to enhance competition. 

These measures include permitting users to download alternative app stores through the Play Store and ensuring that Play’s app catalogue is accessible to competitors. The enforcement of this order is currently suspended pending the outcome of Google’s appeal.

Google contends that the trial court committed legal errors that unfairly advantaged Epic Games. The company argues that its Play Store faces strong competition from Apple’s App Store and that the court improperly allowed Epic to assert that Google and Apple do not compete in app distribution and in-app payments. 

Added to this, Google challenges the nationwide scope of the judge’s order, asserting that it oversteps by imposing broad product design mandates.

Epic Games maintains that Google’s activities represent a “years-long strategy to suppress competition among app stores and payment solutions.”

The company says it is committed to ensuring that the jury’s verdict and the court’s injunction are upheld, holding Google accountable for its anti-competitive behaviour.

The case has garnered support for Epic from entities, including Microsoft, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Federal Trade Commission, all of which have filed briefs backing Epic’s position. A decision from the 9th Circuit is anticipated later this year, with the possibility of further appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Recently, Google appealed a record €4.3 billion fine imposed by the European Union for antitrust violations related to its Android operating system. Google argues that the penalty unjustly punishes its innovation and has requested that the Court of Justice of the European Union overturn the fine.