The UK Competition and Markets Authority recently opened a consultation on proposed conduct requirements for Apple and Google under the UK’s digital markets competition regime, aimed at loosening the companies’ control over payments and customer communications on their mobile platforms. The proposals focus on “steering,” or developers’ ability to tell users about payment options outside Apple’s and Google’s app stores, which the CMA says is currently banned by Apple and restricted by Google in the UK. If adopted, the requirements would allow developers to bypass mandatory platform fees, while requiring any steering-related fees charged by Apple or Google to be fair, reasonable, and justified through a robust, evidence-led framework tied to cost and value. The CMA expects those fees to be lower than existing app-store charges, with resulting savings passed on to UK consumers or reinvested by developers to support innovation.
The consultation also addresses Apple’s control over near field communication functionality on iOS, after businesses raised concerns that Apple’s fees and terms limited access to contactless capabilities. The CMA is considering a requirement that would let UK fintechs and developers support contactless transactions, including card-based payments through digital wallets, from within their own iOS apps. The agency says broader near field communication (“NFC”) access could promote innovation in account-to-account payments, digital currency, stablecoins, digital ID, car keys, and other financial and non-financial uses. The CMA is seeking views from developers on the technical method by which NFC access should be provided and the price to be charged for this access. Responses on potential NFC requirements are due by 5 p.m. on July 21, 2026, while responses on the broader steering conduct requirement consultation are due by 5 p.m. on July 28, 2026, after which the CMA will decide whether to impose new requirements later this year.