CMA weighs forcing Apple, Google on EU-style App Store rules

CMA EU-style – The UK Competition and Markets Authority is considering rules that would push Apple and Google to open their App Stores and payment systems in ways similar to the EU—after already reaching deal-like agreements with both firms over transparency.

For years. Apple and Google have controlled the route developers can take to reach users—what buttons they can press. where payments can happen. and which systems stay “trusted.” Now the UK’s competition watchdog is moving closer to breaking that control in a way that looks uncomfortably like the EU.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority is considering forcing Apple and Google to open their App Stores and allow rival payment systems. with rules matching the European Union’s approach. In February 2026. the CMA had already secured agreements from Apple and Google over changes to their app stores—an “easy win” for the UK. since the firms agreed to transparency issues they had already addressed in the EU.

But the momentum isn’t stopping at transparency. The CMA is now proposing that the UK adopt far more of the EU’s positions. In a post-Brexit UK, politicians will not say they are copying the European Union—but the CMA’s direction, as it frames it, is clear.

The CMA is looking into making Apple: allow developers to steer customers to alternative stores and payment systems, and open its iPhone NFC systems to enable rivals to Apple Wallet.

CMA executive director Will Hayter is expected to argue that “while it is only fair for Apple and Google to be compensated for the services they provide. ” any fees charged must be justified through “a robust. evidence-led framework involving due reference to both cost and value.” Under the CMA’s position. app store fees should be lower than current App Store commissions. and the savings should be passed on to consumers.

That is a disputed premise. The CMA’s plan is being advanced despite EU evidence that developers do not pass on savings.

Apple’s response is sharp. The company says the proposals could open the door to “scams. bait-and-switch tactics. and the circumvention of parental controls.” An Apple spokesperson added that “when users are directed away from Apple’s trusted payment infrastructure. ” they lose the protections they rely on Apple to provide.

Apple says it intends to make its concerns clear to the CMA. Google, meanwhile, reports that it is already taking steps to comply, and the CMA says it will examine what the search giant has done so far.

At this stage, the CMA’s ideas are proposals rather than enacted UK legislation. It is not clear how long the consultation process with Apple and Google will take.

The move sits on top of a broader enforcement shift. The CMA previously designated Apple and Google as having “strategic market status,” and gave itself the right to regulate them. Announced in October 2025, that designation is described as a synonym for what the EU calls gatekeeper status.

The question now is whether the UK’s next step will keep resembling the kind of compromise the EU already imposed—or whether, this time, Apple and Google will be pushed into changes they believe could expose users to risks the companies say they are already protecting against.

UK CMA Competition and Markets Authority Apple Google App Store rules EU gatekeeper payment systems NFC Apple Wallet strategic market status Will Hayter