The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority is considering forcing Apple and Google to open their App Stores and allow rival payment systems, exactly like the European Union.
In February 2026, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) got agreements from Apple and Google over changes to their app stores. It was an easy win for the UK, since it just meant the two firms agreeing to issues over transparency that they already did in the EU.
According to Reuters, however, the CMA is now proposing that the UK adopts much more of the EU’s positions. In a post-Brexit UK, politicians will never say they’re emulating the European Union, but that is exactly what is being considered.
Specifically, the CMA says it is looking into making Apple:
- Allow developers to steer customers to alternative stores and payment systems
- Open its iPhone NFC systems to enable rivals to Apple Wallet
“While it is only fair for Apple and Google to be compensated for the services they provide,” CMA executive director Will Hayter is set to say, “any fees they charge must be justified through a robust, evidence-led framework involving due reference to both cost and value.”
The CMA’s position is that such fees should be lower than current App Store commissions, and the savings should be passed on to consumers. That’s despite EU evidence that developers do not pass on any such savings.
Apple says these proposals could open the door to “scams, bait-and-switch tactics, and the circumvention of parental controls.”
“When users are directed away from Apple’s trusted payment infrastructure,” continued an Apple spokesperson, “they lose the protections they rely on Apple to provide.”
Apple says it intends to make its concerns clear to the CMA. Separately, Google reports that it is already taking steps to comply, and the CMA says it will examine what the search giant has done so far.
At present, these are proposals from the CMA rather than the UK enacting legislation. It’s not clear yet how long the consultation process with Apple and Google will take.
The proposals follow the CMA’s designating Apple and Google as having “strategic market status,” and giving itself the right to regulate them. Announced in October 2025, the designation is a synonym for what the EU calls gatekeeper status.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
