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The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has officially closed its investigation into Apple’s App Store policies.
The probe, initially launched in March 2021, aimed to assess whether Apple held a dominant position in the UK app distribution market and whether its practices, such as charging a 30% commission on transactions, were anti-competitive.
This closure follows a broader review by the CMA of its priorities in light of new regulatory developments. Specifically, the CMA cited the recent passage of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA) as a reason for halting its investigation.
The DMCCA, expected to come into effect later this year, grants the CMA broader powers to address digital market concerns, including the ability to designate companies with “Strategic Market Status” and impose conduct requirements on them.
The CMA’s decision also applies to a similar investigation into Google’s Play Store. Both cases were closed on the grounds of administrative priorities, with the regulator emphasizing that it has not made any final decisions regarding potential violations of UK competition law by either company.
While the investigations have been closed for now, the CMA has indicated that the new digital markets regime will allow it to revisit these concerns more comprehensively. If Apple or Google is designated as having strategic market status under the DMCCA, the CMA may reopen its inquiries and impose new regulations to promote competition in the app market.
More generally, the CMA’s move reflects a shift towards a more flexible and holistic approach to regulating major tech companies, anticipating that the DMCCA will enable more effective oversight of digital markets in the UK.
In other Apple news, the iPhone maker recently approved Epic Games Store’s notarization submission for iOS devices after initially rejecting it twice.
