---
title: "UK Competition Authority Launches Fresh Probe into Apple and Google Market Power"
publisher: "Stockmark.IT"
author: "Stockmark.IT Website"
published: "2025-01-29T05:25:21+00:00"
modified: "2025-01-29T05:28:25+00:00"
date: 2025-01-29
canonical: "https://stockmark.it/uk-competition-authority-launches-fresh-probe-into-apple-and-google-market-power/"
category: "Business"
categories: ["Business", "Digital Market", "Tech"]
image: "https://i0.wp.com/stockmark.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/google-sm-1.jpg?fit=480%2C270&quality=89&ssl=1"
format: "news"
language: "en-GB"
---

# UK Competition Authority Launches Fresh Probe into Apple and Google Market Power

**Published:** January 29, 2025
**Author:** Stockmark.IT Website
**Categories:** Business, Digital Market, Tech
**Featured image:** ![Exterior view of a modern glass building with the Google logo above the main entrance, surrounded by green trees and plants. @ stockmark.it](https://i0.wp.com/stockmark.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/google-sm-1.jpg?fit=480%2C270&quality=89&ssl=1)

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Britain’s competition watchdog has initiated new investigations into Apple and Google’s dominance of mobile internet services, marking a significant development in the regulation of tech giants’ market control.

The Competition and Markets Authority’s move comes amid political turbulence, with the recent forced departure of its chairman Marcus Bokkerink, replaced by former Amazon UK executive Doug Gurr as interim chairman. The timing has raised eyebrows across the industry, particularly as it aligns with the government’s broader push for regulators to prioritise economic growth.

The investigations centre on the tech giants’ control over mobile operating systems, app stores, and browsers. The CMA aims to determine whether their market dominance hampers competition, with potential solutions including making it easier for users to download apps and pay for services outside the official app stores.

The regulator’s scrutiny extends to examining whether Apple and Google should receive “strategic market status” under new rules implemented this year. Such designation would enable the CMA to impose specific conduct requirements aimed at fostering competition for UK businesses and expanding consumer choice.

Sarah Cardell, CMA chief executive, emphasised the potential benefits of increased competition, stating that “more competitive mobile ecosystems could foster new innovations and opportunities across services that millions of people use.” The investigation’s scope encompasses possible preferential treatment of their own apps and services, alongside examining potentially unfair terms imposed on third-party developers.

Both tech giants have defended their positions. Apple highlighted its role in supporting hundreds of thousands of UK jobs, while Google emphasised Android’s openness in expanding choice and reducing smartphone costs. The outcomes of these investigations could significantly reshape the mobile technology landscape in Britain.

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**Original URL:** https://stockmark.it/uk-competition-authority-launches-fresh-probe-into-apple-and-google-market-power/
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