Latest news with #MargotDaly
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK watchdog: Apple and Google browser dominance is bad for consumers
The duopoly that Apple and Google hold over mobile phone browsers is causing consumers to lose out and is dampening innovation, regulators say. The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Apple is holding back competitors such as Mozilla and Firefox from offering new features because of restrictions built into its platform. Apple said it had 'concerns' with the report published by the watchdog. Apple runs the Safari browser, but also runs the operating system that competing browsers have to use if they want to work on iPhones. This forces others to use Apple's own underlying browser engine, called WebKit, partly to mitigate against cybersecurity issues. But it also limits the extent to which competing browsers can offer features which differentiate them from Apple's own Safari offering, which is hindering competition, the CMA said. The watchdog said Apple also allowed Safari to implement full-screen video almost four years before giving other browsers access to the functionality required to do so. Apple and Google dominate the mobile device market, with the CMA noting that the vast majority of devices come with Apple's iOS or Google's Android operating systems pre-installed. The firms' own app stores and browsers have either exclusive or leading positions on their platforms compared to third-party products and services. A spokesman for Apple said the company 'has concerns with this report and believes the remedies it discusses would undermine privacy, security and the overall user experience'. 'We face competition in every segment and jurisdiction where we operate, and our focus is always the trust of our users,' it said, flagging that consumers can choose from a variety of browsers on the App Store, and switch their default browser in the settings app. Apple said it would 'continue to engage constructively with the CMA to best address their concerns'. The CMA has been investigating the two companies' mobile browser offerings through an independent inquiry group. A revenue-sharing arrangement between the two is also further reducing financial incentives to compete, the watchdog added. Google pays Apple a significant share of the search advertising revenue earned from traffic on Safari and Chrome on its iOS.8 operating system, the CMA said. It comes after a digital markets competition regime took effect in the UK at the start of this year, giving the UK authorities new powers to issue 'conduct requirements' to tech firms that are granted strategic market status. Firms designated with the status can have conduct requirements imposed upon them which boost competition for UK businesses and choice for consumers. The CMA is separately examining whether the US giants should be given this status. If they are, they could be asked to to open up access to functionality within operating systems or app stores to third-party apps. Margot Daly, chair of the CMA's independent inquiry group, said: 'Following our in-depth investigation, we have concluded that competition between different mobile browsers is not working well, and this is holding back innovation in the UK.'
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK CMA scrutinises Apple and Google mobile browsers
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has raised concerns regarding the mobile browser market, stating it is 'not working well for consumers and businesses'. The CMA's final report, released in March 2025, emphasises that issues related to mobile browsers are 'holding back innovation and could be limiting growth in the UK'. It primarily focuses on Apple's policies, which dictate how mobile browsers function on its devices. After reviewing feedback from the provisional decision report published in November 2024, the inquiry group confirmed its concerns, except for two areas related to choice architecture practices of Apple and Google. These two areas were resolved after Apple updated its software in December 2024, allowing users to change their default browser more easily, and Google provided new evidence regarding its Chrome prompts on Android. The CMA has since opened investigations in January 2025 to determine if Apple and Google should be designated with strategic market status (SMS) under the new digital markets competition regime. These ongoing SMS investigations focus on Apple and Google's mobile ecosystem services, including mobile browsers. The inquiry group has suggested potential interventions to address competition concerns if SMS designations are made. These interventions could enhance competition by allowing other browsers to offer innovative features and enabling users to choose their preferred browser. If the SMS investigations lead to designations and interventions, it could improve competitive conditions, allowing more companies to invest and innovate, the CMA said. This would provide millions of consumers with access to faster and more secure mobile browsers. The CMA's independent inquiry group chair Margot Daly said: 'Following our in-depth investigation, we have concluded that competition between different mobile browsers is not working well, and this is holding back innovation in the UK. 'The analysis set out in our report and the range of potential interventions considered to address the market issues we have identified merits consideration by the CMA under its new powers, which have been specifically designed for digital markets.' The group has also concluded that no further action is necessary regarding cloud gaming. In response, Reuters reported that Apple reaffirmed its commitment to 'thriving and dynamic markets where innovation can flourish,' emphasising that user trust remains its top priority. 'We have concerns with this report and believe the remedies it discusses would undermine privacy, security, and the overall user experience,' a spokesperson was quoted as saying. 'We will continue to engage constructively with the CMA to best address their concerns.' Meanwhile, Google highlighted that Android's openness has helped to 'expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps'. 'We remain committed to open platforms that help developers build successful businesses, and will work constructively with the CMA to deliver a pro-innovation, evidence-based and predictable regulatory regime that enables UK growth,' Google's representative added. "UK CMA scrutinises Apple and Google mobile browsers " was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple and Google under more scrutiny, this time for mobile browser dominance
A report from a UK antitrust body, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has found that Apple and Google have such dominance over the mobile browser market that it is harming users who could be missing out on new features. With 88% of Apple users running Safari and 77% of Android users running Chrome, the situation is 'not working well for consumers and businesses' and is 'holding back innovation,' the CMA says, and it singles out Apple's mobile browser policies for particular criticism. Apple has previously been criticized for its restrictive policies around mobile browsers, as users can install browsers other than Apple's Safari on their devices — but those browsers can only use Apple's WebKit engine. That makes them essentially overlays for Apple's own browser, limiting the features that can be supported on a mobile browser. As for Google, the report criticized a revenue-sharing agreement between Google and Apple, in which Google pays Apple a chunk of its search revenue from users browsing on an iOS device. This agreement gives both companies a reason not to compete, the report says, which harms users. The report does offer suggestions on improving the situation, such as forcing Apple to allow browser engines other than WebKit or banning the revenue-sharing agreement between Apple and Google. However, it doesn't look like these suggestions will be put into action any time soon as the CMA is still undertaking a separate investigation into Apple and Google's mobile dominance, which is expected to be completed later this year. 'Following our in-depth investigation, we have concluded that competition between different mobile browsers is not working well, and this is holding back innovation in the UK,' said Margot Daly, Chair of the CMA's independent inquiry group. 'The analysis set out in our report and the range of potential interventions considered to address the market issues we have identified merits consideration by the CMA under its new powers, which have been specifically designed for digital markets. So, I welcome the CMA's prompt action to open strategic market status investigations into both Apple and Google's mobile ecosystems. The extensive analysis we've set out today will help that work as it progresses.'
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UK antitrust body raises concerns about Apple and Google's mobile browsers
By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's antitrust regulator said its inquiry group had found the mobile browser market, dominated by Apple and Google, was not working well for consumers and businesses, supporting its decision to launch an investigation into the sector in January. A final report by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) independent inquiry group said most of its concerns related to Apple's policies about accessing the internet on its devices using its Safari browser. Following provisional findings published in November, the CMA opened an investigation under its new powers in January. It will decide if either or both companies have "strategic market status" in mobile ecosystems, a wider remit than the browser market looked at by the inquiry group. The group said if the companies were designated with SMS status, the CMA should consider interventions such as enhancing the ability of rivals to compete by offering new features. Apple said it believed in "thriving and dynamic markets where innovation can flourish", and its focus was always the trust of its users. "We have concerns with this report and believe the remedies it discusses would undermine privacy, security, and the overall user experience," a spokesperson said. "We will continue to engage constructively with the CMA to best address their concerns." Google said Android's openness had helped to "expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps". "We remain committed to open platforms that help developers build successful businesses, and will work constructively with the CMA to deliver a pro-innovation, evidence-based and predictable regulatory regime that enables UK growth," a spokesperson said. Apple's Safari and Google's Chrome browsers dominate the market, the report said, with Safari accounting for 88% of browsers on Apple devices and Chrome accounting for 77% on devices running Google's Android operating system in 2024. Margot Daly, chair of the independent inquiry group, said competition between different mobile browsers was not working well and it was holding back innovation. "I welcome the CMA's prompt action to open strategic market status investigations into both Apple and Google's mobile ecosystems," she said. "The extensive analysis we've set out today will help that work as it progresses." The CMA said its SMS investigations were expected to conclude later this year. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apple and Google browser dominance harming consumer choice, says watchdog
The duopoly that Apple and Google hold over mobile phone browsers is causing British consumers to lose out and is dampening innovation, regulators have said. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Apple is holding back competitors such as Mozilla and Firefox from offering new features because of restrictions built into its platform. Apple runs the Safari browser, but also runs the operating system that competing browsers have to use if they want to work on iPhones. This forces others to use Apple's own underlying browser engine, called WebKit, partly to mitigate against cybersecurity issues. We've published the final report in our mobile browsers and cloud gaming market investigation. It finds that competition between different mobile browsers is not working well, which is holding back innovation in the UK. Read more: — Competition & Markets Authority (@CMAgovUK) March 12, 2025 But it also limits the extent to which competing browsers can offer features which differentiate them from Apple's own Safari offering, which is hindering competition, the CMA said. The watchdog said Apple also allowed Safari to implement full-screen video almost four years before giving other browsers access to the functionality required to do so. Apple and Google dominate the mobile device market, with the CMA noting that virtually all such devices sold in the UK come with Apple's iOS or Google's Android operating systems pre-installed. The firms' own app stores and browsers have either exclusive or leading positions on their platforms compared to third-party products and services. The CMA has been investigating the two companies' mobile browser offerings through an independent inquiry group. A revenue-sharing arrangement between the two is also further reducing financial incentives to compete, the watchdog added. Google pays Apple a significant share of the search advertising revenue earned from traffic on Safari and Chrome on its iOS.8 operating system, the CMA said. It comes after a digital markets competition regime took effect in the UK at the start of this year, giving the UK authorities new powers to issue 'conduct requirements' to tech firms that are granted strategic market status. Firms designated with the status can have conduct requirements imposed upon them which boost competition for UK businesses and choice for consumers. The CMA is separately examining whether the US giants should be given this status. If they are, they could be asked to to open up access to functionality within operating systems or app stores to third-party apps. Margot Daly, chair of the CMA's independent inquiry group, said: 'Following our in-depth investigation, we have concluded that competition between different mobile browsers is not working well, and this is holding back innovation in the UK.'
