Market watchdog UK wants to investigate Apple and Google’s power with mobile browsers

The British competition authority is considering investigating Apple and Google’s market power with mobile browsers. At the same time, the regulator wants to investigate Apple’s restrictions on offering cloud gaming via the App Store.

According to the Competition and Markets Authority, Apple and Google will keep the market for mobile browsers firmly in their grip and 97 percent of mobile browsing in the UK is through an Apple or Google browser engine. The CMA points out that Apple does not allow mobile browsers on an engine other than Safari’s in its app store. This would potentially frustrate competition and limit the possibilities of web apps. Apple and Google also have an advantage over competitors, because mobile devices almost always have Safari and Chrome installed by default.

The CMA also finds that Apple is frustrating the rise of game streaming services due to restrictions on its App Store. The authority suggests that this is because these services pose a threat to Apple’s revenue from game apps. The CMA proposes to conduct a market survey and calls on interested parties to submit their views. You can do that until July 22.

The competition regulator comes to the proposal after completing an investigation showing that Apple and Google in fact have a duopoly with their mobile ecosystems† “Unless action is taken, both companies will maintain or even strengthen their grip on the sector, further restricting competition,” the CMA wrote. The authority focuses first on mobile browsers and cloud gaming, but the investigation is said to have identified a range of topics that deserve further attention. For example, the organization immediately starts an investigation into the rules that Google has drawn up for in-app payments in the Play Store.

Source: Mobile ecosystems market study