In a significant move aimed at strengthening developer confidence, Apple and Google have committed to introducing 4 changes to make their app stores more transparent and fair. The announcement was made on Tuesday by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which had earlier raised concerns about the companies’ dominance in the mobile app ecosystem.
According to a press release, the commitments include 3 measures applicable to both companies and 1 additional interoperability-related change specific to Apple. The CMA said it is seeking public comments on these commitments and will closely monitor their implementation before publishing its findings.
“Following designation of Apple and Google’s mobile platforms in October last year, the CMA has moved swiftly to secure a package of commitments from Apple and Google that will boost the UK’s app economy, giving developers the opportunity and confidence they need to invest and innovate,” said Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA.
Both companies have agreed to review app submissions in a fair, objective, and transparent manner. They have also committed to not discriminating against third-party apps that compete with their own services. App rankings on the App Store and Play Store will also follow objective and non-discriminatory processes.
In addition, Apple and Google have pledged to protect developer data collected during the app review process and ensure it is not used unfairly.
Apple has made an additional commitment to improve interoperability. The company will make it easier for developers to request access to certain features on iOS and iPadOS. It has agreed to assess such requests fairly and objectively.
Both platforms will also publish data on the proportion of apps submitted, approved, rejected, and appealed. They will disclose app review timelines, complaints received, and outcomes. Apple will further share details about interoperability requests, including decisions and timelines.
The CMA warned that failure to meet these commitments could result in formal “conduct requirements.”
“While we believe Play’s existing developer practices are fair, objective, and transparent, we welcome the opportunity to resolve the CMA’s concerns collaboratively. Our proposed voluntary commitments will continue to provide transparency on our app review, ranking and data usage policies and practices to ensure developers understand the many choices available to them on Google Play,” Google said in a blog post.
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