The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority today outlined measures it believes will “improve fairness in app store processes and enhance iOS interoperability”.
But the commitments are more concerned with app store processes and transparency, and do not force Apple and Google to open up their app stores in the UK – unlike the government rulings we’ve seen in the EU, US and elsewhere in recent months and years.
And so of course Epic Games has hit back at the proposals. “The commitments Apple and Google made to the UK Competition and Markets Authority fail to open the mobile app ecosystem to real competition,” reads an X post from Epic’s Newsroom account in response to the CMA.
“Gatekeepers continue to block competing app stores and payment systems with outright prohibitions as well as scare screens and junk fees.”
The Epic Newsroom post continues: “The agreed changes won’t correct the core anticompetitive business practices that the US courts and the European Union are addressing. The CMA must prioritize addressing these barriers to competition in order for UK consumers to gain the benefits of real competition that everyone deserves.”
The CMA says that Apple and Google have each committed to making its app review, app ranking, search and data collection processes more transparent to ensure developers making competing apps are treated fairly. They have also agreed to allow developers to request ‘interoperability features’ more easily and deal with studios in a more transparent way.
The government body says the new transparency commitments will take effect from April 1 2026, subject to industry feedback. App developers can offer their thoughts on the proposals until March 3 2026 through the CMA’s website.
The CMA also referenced further work it is doing with Apple and Google on app distribution and steering, which is ongoing. An update on these conversations is promised in the first half of this year.
A US judge ruled last year that Apple must remove all restrictions around payments for US customers. The extra freedoms went into effect in May 2025, while the EU’s Digital Markets Act forced Apple to open up its App Store to competition, though the way it was executed left many developers unhappy. Google already allows competing stores on Android devices worldwide and a choice of payment processes in some markets, though they do come with what Epic likes to call ‘scare screens’.
