Google and Apple are having a bad day. The tech giants are facing a new investigation into their mobile ecosystems by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), as well as growing pressure to adopt a new app store initiative in India.
Let’s start with the investigation, which began the day after the CMA appointed a former Amazon executive as its interim chairman. The AMC is investigating whether the mobile ecosystems of Apple and Google should have the status of a strategic market (SM), and thus be subject to stricter regulation and pro-competitive directives. However, it is not entirely clear which aspects are being investigated. This new appointment stems from the UK’s Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act (DMCC), which came into force on January 1. Google is also the subject of the first SMS investigation, launched earlier this month and focused on possible antitrust practices around the company’s search services.
The AMC’s SMS investigations can last up to nine months, and in both cases, comments on the investigation and possible interventions are currently being accepted. The regulator is accepting comments on the joint investigation of Google and Apple until February 12.
Now to another headache for Apple and Google. In India, the technology ministry is pushing for Apple and Google to offer the government-backed GOV.in app store in their markets, Bloomberg reports. The Indian government also wants this set of applications to be pre-installed on all mobile devices, available for download by third parties, and not contain warnings such as “unreliable source.” The government sees push as a means to further extend social services. Currently, these apps are available in the Apple and Google app stores, but as separate products.
The initial request was reportedly made during a meeting last month, but, at this point, Google and Apple are unlikely to agree to it. The Indian government is reportedly discussing the possibility of using mandates or legal steps to enforce compliance. In 2021, Apple began to offer a similar option for Russian users due to legal regulations.
