UK Competition Authority Investigates Apple's Monopoly Practice

JAKARTA - The UK Competition and Markets Authority has officially started an investigation into the iPhone's App Store monopoly. The investigation aims to assess Apple's market power and possible exploitative behavior, including app distribution options to customers and the conditions that app developers must meet to enter the App Store.

The investigation will also evaluate the level of competition between Apple and Google ecosystems, including barriers to the entry of rival services.

In addition, it will be assessed whether Apple and Google abuse their market power over the monopoly of mobile operating systems, such as pre-installed apps and alternative browser options.

The results of this investigation are expected to help increase healthy competition in the mobile app market. The deadline for this investigation is October 22, 2025. Possible sanctions if Apple and Google are found guilty include fines and business behavior interventions.

In similar cases in the European Union, Apple has been forced to add support to third-party app markets, web-based app distributions, browser selection screens, and other changes. However, the company also introduced business terms and alternative cost structures, which developers like Epic Games and Spotify protested because they were still unfair.