CMA moves to open app stores to steering

What's happened

The UK Competition and Markets Authority is consulting on rules to allow app developers to steer users away from Apple and Google’s payment systems. The move aims to boost competition by lowering platform fees and potentially passing savings to UK customers.

What's behind the headline?

Critical analysis

• The CMA is intensifying a regulatory push to recalibrate the power of Apple and Google in mobile payments.
• Critics warn steering could undermine the safety protections of the built-in payment ecosystems, while proponents say it injects needed competition.
• The public nature of the consultation signals a broader appetite to reshape app-store economics, potentially pressuring fees and forcing interoperability.
• The practical effect on users will depend on how the rules are defined, particularly around “steering” fees and fair access to payment options.
• This development could shift developer strategies, with more attention to alternative payment channels and consumer transparency.

How we got here

The CMA has long sought to curb the dominance of Apple and Google in mobile platforms. Last autumn it granted both companies strategic market status, enabling bespoke conduct rules. The current consultation follows changes already claimed by Google and talks with Apple about steering, as the CMA presses for greater consumer choice.

Our analysis

The Guardian notes the CMA’s stance against mandatory fees and steering; Independent reports on Will Hayter’s remarks and the consultation; Google and Apple statements reacting to the CMA’s push. Direct quotes and attributions are used where possible to illustrate the balance of perspectives.

Go deeper

• Will the CMA’s guidance change how you pay for apps today?
• Are you prepared to switch payment methods if steering becomes common?
• Which apps would benefit most from steering rules?

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• Google - Technology company

  Google LLC is an American multinational technology company that specializes in Internet-related services and products, which include online advertising technologies, a search engine, cloud computing, software, and hardware.

• United Kingdom - Country in Europe

  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain, is a sovereign country located off the north­western coast of the European mainland.

• Competition and Markets Authority - Government department

  The Competition and Markets Authority is a non-ministerial government department in the United Kingdom, responsible for strengthening business competition and preventing and reducing anti-competitive activities.

• Apple - Fruit

  An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree. Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus Malus. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found today.