UK competition watchdog consults on changes that could loosen Apple and Google app-store payment controls

The UK’s competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has launched a consultation on possible rule changes aimed at app stores run by Apple and Google, according to a report published by Yahoo Finance. The proposals would, in effect, require the platforms to allow developers to “steer” users away from in-app payment flows and toward other payment methods.

In the Yahoo report, the CMA’s focus is described as altering how developers can communicate with customers inside app-store experiences, particularly around payments. The central idea is that developers would be permitted to guide users to alternative payment journeys rather than having to complete transactions only through the app store’s own billing system.

For Apple, the issue touches a core part of the way its iPhone and iPad App Store business operates. Apple earns revenue from purchases and subscriptions processed through its platform, and app developers typically rely on Apple’s in-app purchase system for digital goods and services. If steering restrictions are loosened, developers could have more flexibility in structuring how users pay for their apps, potentially changing revenue distribution between app-store operators and developers’ chosen payment partners.

The consultation, as described by Yahoo Finance, indicates that regulators are continuing to test whether app-store payment rules should be modified to improve contestability for developers and reduce barriers for users who want to switch to alternative payment options. Steering, in this context, generally refers to communications and pathways that encourage users to complete a transaction using a different payment route than the app store’s default billing.

Apple has faced similar regulatory pressure in other jurisdictions on the balance of control between platforms and developers, particularly around payment choice and the ability of developers to communicate with customers about external offers. In the UK, this new CMA consultation suggests the regulator is again weighing whether current constraints are limiting competition in digital distribution and payments.

Industry participants are likely to treat the consultation as a near-term indicator of where the UK may be heading, but the Yahoo report does not provide full details on the scope of any potential mandate, implementation timelines, or what exemptions might apply. It also does not specify whether the CMA’s proposals would apply uniformly across all app categories, or how enforcement and compliance would work in practice.

Apple did not respond in the Yahoo report with new, specific disclosures about the consultation, and the CMA’s full proposal text is not included in the information available here. As a result, it remains unclear how far the CMA would go, for example whether steering would be allowed only in certain user interface contexts, whether app-store terms could still impose other restrictions, or whether alternative payment methods would be subject to further conditions.

Looking ahead, the key development to watch is the CMA’s next step after the consultation closes, which could include a formal decision, updated remedies, or additional proposals based on stakeholder feedback. For Apple and the broader app-economy, the outcome may determine how much room developers have to route users to different payment methods and how that reshapes economics for digital subscriptions, in-app purchases, and app discovery inside iOS.