12 March 2025 – The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has concluded its market investigation into mobile browsers, finding that the current landscape is stifling innovation and limiting competition, particularly due to policies implemented by Apple. The final decision highlights significant concerns over the dominance of Apple’s Safari and Google’s Chrome browsers, which collectively account for the vast majority of mobile browser use in the UK.
Key Findings of the Investigation
The CMA’s independent inquiry group has identified several factors that restrict competition in the mobile browser market:
- Apple’s WebKit Restriction: Apple requires all mobile browsers on iOS to use its WebKit browser engine, limiting competitors’ ability to differentiate their offerings or introduce new features.
- Preferential Access for Safari: Apple’s Safari browser has had greater or earlier access to key functionalities from iOS and WebKit, giving it an unfair advantage over competing browsers.
- Impact on Progressive Web Apps (PWAs): Apple’s restrictions hinder the development of PWAs, which offer a lower-cost alternative to native apps and are used by major companies such as Spotify and Facebook.
- Limitations on In-App Browsing: Apple restricts the technology available for linking to web content within apps, reducing competition in this increasingly significant browsing segment.
- Revenue-Sharing Arrangements: Apple and Google benefit financially from Google’s search advertising revenue on Safari and Chrome, reducing their incentive to compete aggressively.
- Choice Architecture Concerns: While concerns remain about pre-installed browsers and default settings on mobile devices, Apple’s recent iOS update and Google’s evidence on its prompt limitations have somewhat alleviated these issues.
Regulatory Action and Next Steps
The CMA has determined that addressing these issues under its existing remedy-making powers would pose significant risks to effectiveness. However, the recently enacted Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 provides the CMA with new powers to regulate major digital firms.
On 23 January 2025, the CMA launched investigations into whether Apple and Google should be designated as having Strategic Market Status (SMS) in mobile ecosystems, including mobile browsers. If designated, the CMA may impose tailored interventions to enhance competition and innovation.
Potential Impact on Consumers and Businesses
If the CMA Board proceeds with these recommendations, the mobile browser market could become more competitive, fostering innovation and providing consumers with faster, more secure, and more private browsing options. Businesses, particularly smaller developers, would benefit from fewer restrictions on web technologies, improving their ability to reach consumers.
One area where the CMA no longer has significant concerns is cloud gaming on mobile devices. Since Apple revised its policies, competition in this sector appears to have improved, leading the CMA to drop its concerns in this area.
The CMA’s findings signal a major step towards reshaping competition in the mobile browser market, with future regulatory actions likely to have far-reaching implications for Apple, Google, and the broader digital economy.
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/final-report-into-mobile-browsers-and-cloud-gaming-published
