14 DAY TRIAL // The Competition and Markets Authority, also known as CMA, launched an investigation into Apple’s and Google’s practices regarding their mobile platforms, as the watchdog found that the two companies “have an effective duopoly on mobile ecosystems.”
Their position, the British regulator says, allows Apple and Google to enforce various restrictions on operating systems, app stores, and web browsers running on mobile devices.
CMA first started looking into a possible investigation earlier this summer when it asked for a report on how Google and Apple might violate competition laws with their mobile products.
Investigation officially started
And according to an announcement published today, the study revealed that many developers are actually frustrated with the restrictions that are enforced by the two companies.
“Responses to the consultation, which have been published today, reveal substantial support for a fuller investigation into the way that Apple and Google dominate the mobile browser market and how Apple restricts cloud gaming through its App Store. Many of those came from browser vendors, web developers, and cloud gaming service providers who say that the status quo is harming their businesses, holding back innovation, and adding unnecessary costs,” the press release reads.
“Web developers have complained that Apple’s restrictions, combined with suggested underinvestment in its browser technology, lead to added costs and frustration as they have to deal with bugs and glitches when building web pages, and have no choice but to create bespoke mobile apps when a website might be sufficient.”
The watchdog says all the restrictions that are enforced by Google and Apple could eventually hurt users, and this is why an investigation is required.
However, both companies have claimed that the restrictions are actually needed to protect users, so the role of the investigation is to determine if this is indeed true or not.