CMA publishes the consultation responses on its proposed steering conduct requirement for Apple's mobile platform, from Apple, Epic, and others

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published the consultation responses it received in connection with its proposed steering conduct requirement for Apple's mobile platform, following the consultation that ran from 30 June 2026 to 28 July 2026. The published responses include submissions from Apple itself (a 33-page PDF), Epic, the Coalition for App Fairness, the Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems, the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT), the Chamber of Progress, the Consumer Choice Centre, the Developers Alliance, Associated Newspapers Ltd, Checkmyfile, the Black Hole Index, and several anonymous respondents, among others. The proposed requirement relates to the ability of app developers to steer users towards alternative payment mechanisms and purchase options outside the App Store, an issue at the heart of platform competition debates across the UK, EU, and US. The CMA designated Apple with strategic market status in mobile platforms in October 2025 under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, and is now using those powers to set conduct requirements. The consultation is a formal step in that process, and the publication of responses signals that the CMA is now in the analysis phase before any final determination. Apple's 33-page response and Epic's submission are among the most substantive, reflecting the commercially significant stakes for app developers dependent on iOS distribution. The breadth of respondents, spanning publishers, consumer groups, developer associations, and the platform itself, illustrates the wide commercial and regulatory interest in how the CMA exercises its new digital markets powers.

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