The CMA's programme of work across mobile platforms

Under the digital markets competition regime, the CMA promotes greater competition and innovation in digital markets, and protects consumers and businesses from unfair practices.

If a large tech firm meets certain legal tests, it can be be given strategic market status (SMS). This means the CMA can then take targeted and proportionate interventions, tackling conduct that could undermine fair competition, or exploit people and businesses. 

Under this regime, we have investigated Apple and Google’s mobile platforms. 

We will update this page as our work progresses.

Designating Apple and Google with strategic market status 

In January 2025, the CMA opened investigations to determine whether Apple and Google should be designated as having strategic market status (SMS) in the provision of their mobile platforms in the UK. 

After consulting on our provisional decision, on 22 October 2025, we designated Apple and Google as having SMS in the provision of their mobile platforms. These designations last for a period of 5 years. The mobile platform encompasses mobile operating systems, app distribution and mobile browsers and browser engines.

Designating a firm with SMS does not necessarily mean that the CMA will intervene formally. If we do, formal interventions – namely conduct requirements and pro-competition interventions – are subject to separate legal processes.

We are focusing on areas where proportionate and targeted intervention can make a real, positive impact, quickly improving market outcomes for consumers and businesses in the UK. We are also taking account of measures already taken, or proposed internationally, to identify where we are best placed to act.

In July 2025 we published roadmaps for Apple and Google, which set out the areas for potential intervention we planned to explore in the first half of the designation period. As we start to deliver on these areas, we will update this page with more information about our current and upcoming work.