UK Designates Apple, Google Mobile Platforms SMS

Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority has designated Apple and Google’s mobile platforms with “strategic market status” after a months‑long probe, covering iOS and Android plus app distribution, browsers and browser engines (including the App Store, Google Play, Chrome and Blink). The CMA found the platforms hold substantial, entrenched market power—an effective duopoly covering roughly 90–100% of UK smartphones—and said the label is not a finding of wrongdoing. The SMS does not impose immediate obligations but gives the regulator powers to seek proportionate, targeted interventions to boost competition and choice, including measures such as anti‑steering rules and forcing genuine user choice over services (for example digital wallets). The CMA said opening the app ecosystem would benefit businesses and consumers and noted the app economy’s contribution to UK GDP and jobs; breaches of any new rules could carry DMA‑style sanctions. Google called the decision “disappointing, disproportionate and unwarranted,” while Apple warned heavy intervention could weaken privacy, security and user experience.