UK competition cops brand Apple, Google with 'strategic market status' for mobile

The UK's competition watchdog has officially slapped Apple and Google with "strategic market status," a new legal label that gives the regulator far-reaching powers to rein in how the tech giants run their empires.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has declared both mobile tech giants meet the legal threshold for "strategic market status" (SMS) under the UK's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, giving it sweeping oversight of their mobile platform businesses.

The CMA launched separate investigations into Apple and Google's mobile platforms in January. In July, it published proposed decisions that they should be designated with SMS.

During its investigations, the CMA heard from more than 150 stakeholders, and said it had constructive engagement with Apple and Google.

The market watchdog concluded Apple and Google both have "substantial, entrenched market power and a position of strategic significance" in their respective mobile markets, justifying the ...