In a landmark move that could reshape the mobile technology landscape across the United Kingdom, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has ruled that Apple may soon be required to open its iPhones to rival app stores. This development, announced on October 22, 2025, marks a potential end to Apple’s much-criticized “closed system,” where users could only download apps from the official App Store. The decision also places Google under similar scrutiny, as both tech giants have been designated with “strategic market status”—a formal recognition of their dominant roles in the UK’s mobile ecosystem.
The CMA’s investigation, which has been months in the making, focused on the overwhelming influence Apple and Google wield over mobile operating systems, app stores, and web browsers. According to the regulator, an estimated 90 to 100 percent of UK mobile devices run on either Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android, effectively creating a duopoly that shapes how millions of Britons access digital services. As Will Hayter, the CMA’s executive director for digital markets, put it in a statement reported by BBC, “The app economy generates 1.5% of the UK’s GDP and supports around 400,000 jobs, which is why it’s crucial these markets work well for business.”
For many, the CMA’s ruling is not just about consumer convenience—it’s about competition, innovation, and the future of the digital economy. The regulator’s investigation scrutinized how Apple and Google promote their own apps compared to those of competitors, and whether their platform rules stifle innovation or limit user choice. The findings did not accuse either company of explicit wrongdoing, but the CMA warned that the current ecosystem “may be limiting innovation and competition.”
Potential regulatory measures outlined by the CMA include making it easier for consumers to switch between Apple and Android devices, and requiring both companies to rank apps in their stores “in a fair, objective and transparent manner.” For Apple, the most significant change could be the requirement to allow alternative app stores on its devices, as well as permitting users to download programs directly from third-party websites. This echoes a similar regulatory push in the European Union, where Apple was fined in April 2025 for anti-competitive behavior and forced to open up its ecosystem to rival platforms.
The reaction from Silicon Valley has been swift and pointed. Apple, which has long argued that its tightly controlled environment protects users’ privacy and security, warned that the UK’s adoption of EU-style rules could have serious drawbacks. In a statement to the press, the company said, “Apple faces fierce competition in every market where we operate, and we work tirelessly to create the best products, services and user experience. The UK’s adoption of EU-style rules would undermine that, leaving users with weaker privacy and security, delayed access to new features, and a fragmented, less seamless experience.” Apple pointed to the EU as a cautionary tale, noting that some new Apple Intelligence features available elsewhere have been withheld from European users due to regulatory barriers.
Google, for its part, was equally vocal in its opposition. Oliver Bethell, Google’s senior director for competition, described the CMA’s decision as “disappointing, disproportionate, and unwarranted.” He argued that Android’s open-source nature already promotes competition, stating, “Anyone, including our competitors, can customise and build devices with the open-source Android operating system—for free. And while Google Play helps people download apps on their devices, if you don’t find the app you’re looking for, you can download apps from a rival store or directly from a developer’s website—something the majority of Android users actually do, and something other mobile platforms restrict.”
Bethell further emphasized the diversity within the Android ecosystem: “There are now 24,000 Android phone models from 1,300 phone manufacturers worldwide, facing intense competition from iOS in the UK. More than two thirds of UK Android devices come with a non-Play app store preloaded and users can access 50 times more apps on Android than iOS. Non-Chrome browsers are installed on 70 per cent of UK Android devices.”
The CMA’s roadmap for Google may require the company to “change the user experience” for downloading apps directly from websites and “remove user frictions” when using alternative app stores, such as listing them directly on the Google Play Store. While Android users currently have the option to use third-party app stores, critics argue that the experience is not as smooth or well-integrated as Google’s own Play Store.
Consumer advocates have largely welcomed the CMA’s intervention. The consumer group Which? stated that similar curbs on the power of Apple and Google in other countries are already “helping businesses to innovate and giving consumers more choice.” Rocio Concha, the group’s head of policy and advocacy, put it bluntly: “Their dominance is now causing real harm by restricting choice for consumers and competition for businesses.”
The stakes are high. The UK app economy is not just a tech playground—it’s a major engine of economic growth, contributing 1.5% to the country’s GDP and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs. The CMA’s new powers, granted at the start of 2025, are designed to tackle digital monopolies and ensure that the market remains dynamic and open to newcomers. As Sarah Cardell, CMA chief executive, noted earlier this year, “Apple and Google’s mobile platforms are both critical to the UK economy—playing an important role in all our lives, from banking and shopping to entertainment and education. But our investigation so far has identified opportunities for more innovation and choice.”
For Apple, the UK represents a vital market, especially in the premium smartphone segment where its devices command fierce loyalty and a significant share of sales. Google, meanwhile, maintains a strong presence through its Android operating system, which is used on a vast array of devices from different manufacturers. The competition between these two giants is intense, but their collective dominance has raised concerns about whether smaller competitors and app developers can thrive.
The CMA’s next steps remain to be seen. It has published roadmaps outlining potential interventions but has not yet specified exactly what changes it will require from Apple and Google. What is clear, however, is that the era of unchecked dominance by these tech titans is coming under increasing scrutiny. The UK’s digital markets regime, with its new regulatory muscle, could set a precedent for other countries wrestling with similar questions about competition, innovation, and consumer choice.
As the debate rages on, one thing is certain: how Britons download apps, use their smartphones, and interact with the digital world may soon look very different. The coming months will reveal whether these new rules lead to the promised land of greater innovation and choice—or whether, as Apple and Google warn, they bring unintended consequences for privacy, security, and user experience.
