Robert Triggs / Android Authority
TL; DR
- The British competition authority has announced that it will investigate Apple and Google.
- This antitrust investigation covers the duo’s smartphone platforms, app stores and web browsers.
Apple and Google are a kind of duopoly when it comes to viable smartphone platforms and the associated ecosystems. We have seen both companies come under fire over antitrust issues recently and the UK is now joining the party.
The British Competition and Market Authority (CMA) has announced that it is investigating both Apple and Google via their smartphone operating systems, app stores and web browsers (h / t: Android headquarters). More precisely, the agency is examining whether the two companies are stifling competition in various digital markets.
“The CMA fears that this could lead to a reduction in innovation across the industry and consumers to pay higher prices for devices and apps or other goods and services due to higher advertising prices,” said an excerpt from the announcement. This investigation will also examine the power Apple and Google have over companies such as app developers.
This announcement doesn’t name any specific third-party apps or companies, but Spotify, Tinder owners Match, and Tile have all been criticizing Apple and Google’s business practices over the past few months. These criticisms focus on the app store owner’s revenue cuts, changes to app store rules and competing products from platform owners.
Google has already been hit on the wrist for its Android-related practices. The company had previously been fined US $ 5 billion by the EU in 2018 for obliging OEMs to bundle certain apps, incentivize the use of its products and prevent OEMs from Android forks to execute. Meanwhile, Apple is currently in a lawsuit with Epic that could have a significant impact on its business practices on the App Store and on the iPhone.
Do you think Google and Apple are abusing their power over consumers and businesses? Let us know via the poll above.