Key Takeaways
- Apple told Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority that proposed “steering” rules would go beyond promoting competition and give it a “highly intrusive” role in managing the App Store, Reuters reported.
- The CMA’s plan would let developers direct UK users to payment options outside the App Store and Google’s Play Store, provided any steering fees are fair and reasonable.
- Apple’s submission says the App Store handled over £46.5 billion in UK billings and sales in 2025, with commissions making up less than 3.5% of that total.
- The consultation closed on 27 July as part of Britain’s digital markets regime, under which Apple and Google were designated as holding “strategic market status” last year.
Apple has strongly criticised Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over proposed changes to App Store payments, arguing the plans go too far and amount to price regulation.
In a submission reported by Reuters, the company said the new rules would give the CMA a “highly intrusive” role in how it runs its business.
The filing comes as the watchdog considers rules allowing UK developers to direct customers to payment methods outside Apple’s ecosystem, marking another legal clash between Big Tech and British regulators.
What the CMA Is Actually Proposing
The CMA’s proposals fall under Britain’s new digital markets regime, which allows the regulator to impose requirements on firms with “strategic market status”, including Apple and Google.
Under the plan, developers could direct UK users to payment options outside the App Store and Google Play, something currently barred in Britain but already allowed in the US and EU, according to MacRumors.
Any fees for that steering would need to be “fair and reasonable” and lower than current commissions, allowing savings to reach customers or support developers’ products.
The consultation closed on 27 July, and the CMA is now reviewing submissions before deciding whether to proceed.
Apple’s Case for Why the Rules Go Too Far
Apple argues the restrictions would effectively regulate its prices by dictating which products and services it can charge commission on, not just how steering works.
Its submission says the App Store generated more than £46.5 billion in UK billings and sales in 2025, with commissions accounting for less than 3.5% of that total. It also argues no evidence that loosening its payment rules would lower prices for shoppers.
Apple argues the proposals could discourage future investment and innovation rather than improve competition, a move that could further escalate cross-border tensions, including a US tariff threat over the UK digital services tax.
The CMA rejected that argument, with a spokesperson telling Reuters the consultation is intended to ensure steering fees are fair and reasonable, not to set prices.
Part of a Wider Reckoning With UK Regulators
The clash lands amid a broader pattern of British watchdogs testing how far they can push the tech giants that dominate digital markets.
The CMA has already forced Google to grant publishers AI opt-out powers, showing a clear willingness to intervene in dominant platforms’ operations.
Apple has already accepted separate commitments with the CMA over App Store rankings and developer access, but this fight over steering fees suggests strategic market status powers will remain a lasting source of friction.
Source: Apple says UK App Store proposal amounts to price regulation
