British Competition Regulator Investigates Apple and Google’s Mobile Phone Ecosystems

The Competition and Markets Authority is seeking to establish whether the iOS and Android operating systems have ’strategic market status’ using new powers.

A 3D printed Google logo placed on an Apple Macbook in a photo illustration on April 12, 2020. Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters

The UK launched an investigation into Apple and Google’s smartphone operating systems, app stores, and browsers on Thursday.

The British competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), said it would assess whether the two Silicon Valley giants have “strategic market status” in mobile ecosystems, and the impact they have on users and businesses developing content and services.