Apple has criticised the UK’s proposal to increase competition on mobile platforms, stating that such rules could endanger users, stifle innovation, and compel the company to share its technology with competitors.
Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCC), the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is debating awarding Apple and Google Strategic Market Status. This designation would enable the CMA to establish new guidelines for operating its platforms. If the CMA is approved, Apple may be forced to open up its ecosystem. This could include anti-steering regulations that would allow developers to get around Apple’s App Store payment system and interoperability requirements that would allow third-party apps to connect to its digital wallet or smartwatch features.
Transparency requirements for app review procedures and search rankings are also being examined. According to Apple, such actions are risky.
The company’s spokesperson had this to say: “We’re concerned these EU-style rules the UK is advancing are bad for users and bad for developers.
“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 spokesperson added.
Continuing, Apple is warning that if UK regulators push ahead with these kinds of rules, it could make everyday iPhone users more vulnerable to online scams and weaken device security. The company also says it might slow down the development of new tech that people rely on.
On top of that, Apple isn’t convinced the regulator has solid evidence for its case, arguing that it’s basing its move on feedback from only a small group of app developers. But the UK authority has pushed back, stressing it’s not just copying what’s happening in Europe.
A spokesperson explained: “Driving greater competition on mobile platforms need not undermine privacy, security or intellectual property.”
In contrast to the EU’s Digital Markets Act, officials contend that the UK’s strategy is more focused on specific domains, like wearable technology and wallets, rather than granting access to a wide range of platforms, BrandSpur news brand reports.
Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, criticised regulators for taking too long to require alternatives to Apple’s App Store and referred to the British app market as “a Soviet supermarket.”
Apple’s regulations stifle competition and stifle innovation, according to a coalition of companies that includes Spotify and Epic and continues to advocate for more robust intervention. With the UK’s mobile gaming market valued at over £2 billion and its fintech industry valued at £18 billion, access to dominant platforms has become a significant economic concern outside of the tech sector.
Internationally, the problem is also political; the White House has resented foreign efforts to control American tech companies, and former President Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on nations that, in his words: “Discriminate against American technology.”
In October 2025, the CMA is anticipated to make its final decision.
