The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has extracted promises from Apple and Google over their App Stores, really just bringing over the same features already in place in Europe.
UK Parliament – image credit: Parliament
UK Parliament – image credit: Parliament
While the UK is no longer part of the European Union, its regulators have been slowly copying the EU’s initiatives regarding Big Tech. In October 2025, for instance, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) designated Apple and Google as having “strategic market status.”
That’s a synonym for the EU’s gatekeeper term, and just as with the European Commission, the UK’s CMA has given itself the right to regulate Apple and Google. According to Reuters, the CMA has announced that the two firms will now comply with its demands over making app stores fairer.