Apple and Google have pledged to change how their app stores operate in the UK following scrutiny from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is trying to curb their control over the app distribution pipelines feeding UK phones.

The [1]CMA said on Tuesday it has secured commitments from both companies to make app store approvals, rankings, and developer treatment less opaque, while forcing Apple to open up parts of iOS to rival services. The regulator is consulting on the proposals ahead of potential implementation later this year, marking one of the first concrete tests of Britain's new digital markets enforcement powers.

The CMA's move follows its decision last year to [2]designate Apple and Google as holding "strategic market status," a formal nod to the fact that most UK phones run iOS or Android, and there's no practical way for app makers to reach users without going through one of the two.

[3]

Under the commitments, both companies agreed to use fair and objective criteria when reviewing and ranking apps, and to avoid exploiting developer data gathered during app approval processes to advantage their own services. Regulators have long argued that the app store approval pipeline can function as a choke point, particularly when platform owners are competing directly with third-party developers.

[4]

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Apple is facing the more substantial demands. The iPhone maker has agreed to create clearer pathways for developers to request access to system-level features inside iOS and iPadOS, a move the CMA believes could enable stronger competition in areas such as payments, digital identity, and translation tools. The watchdog says it will track metrics, including review timelines, appeal rates, and the handling of interoperability requests to ensure the commitments translate into real changes.

Google, for its part, is trying to frame the outcome as consistent with Android's existing "open" positioning while warning regulators against accidentally kneecapping the ecosystem it claims supports a significant slice of the UK digital economy.

[6]

In [7]a blog post , Google leaned hard on Android's "openness," pointing out it already supports multiple app stores, alternative browsers, and different payment setups, and arguing that gives developers and users more room to maneuver than some rival platforms.

[8]It's bubble or nothing for Google as search giant looks to plow ~$180B into datacenters this year

[9]Apple, Google pulled into Grok controversy as campaigners demand app store takedown

[10]Apple hopes to save Siri from laughingstock status with infusion of Google Gemini

[11]Apple, Google forced to issue emergency 0-day patches

The company pointed to the scale of Android's economic footprint, saying the platform has generated roughly £9.9 billion in revenue for UK developers and supports more than 450,000 domestic jobs.

"Our proposed voluntary commitments will continue to provide transparency on our app review, ranking and data usage policies and practices to ensure developers understand the many choices available to them on Google Play," the tech giant said.

That response marks a noticeably softer stance than Google adopted when the CMA first slapped the company with strategic market status, which it previously blasted as disproportionate and unjustified.

Apple has stayed characteristically tight-lipped, offering no response to The Register's questions.

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For the CMA, the commitments are being presented as proof that the UK's Digital Markets regime can deliver quicker, targeted interventions without the years-long legal slugfests that have traditionally defined antitrust enforcement against Silicon Valley. ®

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[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-secures-commitments-from-apple-and-google-to-improve-fairness-in-app-store-processes-and-enhance-ios-interoperability?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=57fa63db-9143-47de-b7a2-582101f5bad0&utm_content=immediately

[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/22/google_apple_sms_uk/

[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aYtkNxGB8DOhkrG6Qf98GgAAAQk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0

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[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aYtkNxGB8DOhkrG6Qf98GgAAAQk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0

[7] https://blog.google/company-news/inside-google/around-the-globe/google-europe/united-kingdom/update-on-cma-assessment-of-mobile-ecosystem/

[8] https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/05/alphabet_google_q4_2025/

[9] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/15/apple_google_pulled_into_grok/

[10] https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/12/apple_taps_google_gemini_siri/

[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/15/apple_follows_google_by_emergency/

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[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/