Apple users in the UK could see significant changes to how they download apps, browse the web and make payments on their devices following new regulatory proposals announced Wednesday by Britain’s competition watchdog.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) proposed designating both Apple and Google with “strategic market status” under new digital competition laws. That gives regulators unprecedented power to force changes to how the tech giants operate their mobile platforms.
“The targeted and proportionate actions we have set out today would enable UK app developers to remain at the forefront of global innovation while ensuring UK consumers receive a world-class experience,” CMA head Sarah Cardell said.
UK regulators target Apple and Google: What changes could Apple users see?
CMA found that “around 90-100% of UK mobile devices” run on Apple or Google’s platforms, creating what the regulator calls an “effective duopoly,” according to BBC. CMA’s roadmap outlines several potential interventions that could fundamentally alter the iPhone experience for UK users. Most immediately, Apple may be required to allow app developers to direct users away from the App Store to complete purchases elsewhere, potentially bypassing Apple’s 30% commission and leading to lower app prices. This follows action in the European Union that forced Apple to make changes the could help it avoid steep daily fines.
The UK regulator also wants Apple to implement fairer app review processes and prevent the company from using data collected during reviews to benefit its own services. More ambitious long-term goals include forcing Apple to allow alternative browser engines beyond WebKit on iOS and enabling better integration with non-Apple digital wallets and connected devices like smartwatches.
These changes could mean UK iPhone users eventually gain “access to innovative digital wallets beyond Apple Pay” and “more capable third-party browsers,” Reuters reports.
Apple pushes back on proposals
Apple has strongly opposed CMA’s plans, telling BBC that the company is “concerned the rules the UK is now considering would undermine the privacy and security protections that our users have come to expect, hamper our ability to innovate, and force us to give away our technology for free to foreign competitors.”
“We will continue to engage with the regulator to make sure they fully understand these risks,” the Apple spokesperson added.
The company argues that the proposed changes could compromise the integrated security model that has become a hallmark of Apple’s ecosystem, potentially exposing users to greater privacy and security risks.
Timeline and global context
CMA has until October 22 to finalize its strategic market status designations for both companies. If implemented, the changes would begin with app store reforms later this year, followed by more complex interventions around browser engines and device interoperability from 2026 onwards.
As noted above, these proposals follow similar regulatory pressure in other regions. In the EU, Apple has already been forced to make significant changes to iOS, while in the United States, a recent court ruling required Apple to allow app developers to include external payment links, leading to price cuts of up to 30% for some apps.
The UK’s move represents the latest front in a global regulatory push to increase competition in mobile ecosystems, with consumer advocacy group Which? welcoming the probe and arguing that while tech giants “have driven innovation, their dominance is now causing real harm to consumers and to the businesses that depend on them.”
For Apple users, the coming months will determine whether the UK follows through on these proposals and how significantly they might reshape the iPhone experience in Britain.
David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
