Apple and Google are “a duopoly that limits competition” according to the United Kingdom

The mobile market is dominated by Apple and Google, iOS and Android, as Microsoft threw in the towel with Windows Mobile. Since then, no one has tried to launch a new operating system competing with the two companies. Earlier this year, the UK Competition and Markets Authority has started to investigate this situation and has just presented its preliminary report: “Apple and Google are a duopoly that limits competition”.

Apple and Google have developed control over the way we use mobile phones and we fear it will cost millions of people across the UK.

The study comes to a fairly logical conclusion

Apple and Google rely heavily on mobile operating systems over a decade ago. With the iPhone, Apple has completely revolutionized the mobile market, and with the App Store, it has revolutionized the way we sell software. Google used these same ideas on Android, which has brought us to the current situation.

Most people know that Apple and Google are the big players when it comes to choosing a phone. But it can be easy to forget that they also set all the rules, from determining which apps are available in their app stores, to how difficult it is for us to switch to other browsers on our phones. This control can limit innovation and choice, and lead to higher prices, which is not good news for users.

For prevent abuse of power by Apple and Google, the report from the UK Competition and Markets Authority shows a series of corrective measures that could be implemented, which would of course be mandatory:

• Facilitate users switch between iOS and Android when changing phones, so as not to lose functionality or data.
• Facilitate the installation of PWA (progressive web apps) and third-party source applications in addition to the App Store and the Play Store.
• That all The apps give users options on how they prefer to pay for IAPs (in-app purchases), subscriptions, etc., rather than being tied to using Apple’s or Google’s proprietary billing systems.
• Authorize users easily choose alternatives to default Google and Apple browsers and set your choice as the new default.

This kind of the measures are similar to those which have already been called for in other countries of the world. The lawsuit between Epic and Apple had this objective, to create an alternative store. And we’ve also seen how Apple and Google will be forced to offer alternative payment methods in their stores.

Some key figures from the study

In addition to these measures, the study leaves us some interesting touches on Apple, Google, iOS and Android to share:

• More half of all smartphones used in the UK in 2020 were iPhones Apple, while the others used some version of the Android operating system.
• More … than 95% of app downloads native via mobile app stores in UK in 2020 have been achieved via App Store or Play Store.
• The Apple and Google browsers account for 90% of usage of the browser on mobile devices in the UK: Safari has a share of around 50% and Chrome has a share of around 40%.
• UK adult internet users spent on average more than 3.5 hours per day online in 2020, of which 81% (almost 3 hours) of this time via smartphones or tablets.
• At the World level, Apple made around £ 50 billion in profit in 2020, and recent revelations indicate that this figure has risen to around £ 82 billion in 2021. Google made a profit of around £ 36 billion in 2020.
• In 2020, approximately 80% of Apple’s revenue comes from the sale of devices, while Google generates more than 80% of its revenue from advertising.

Court ruling says App Store is not a monopoly

This is a preliminary report for now, but Everything indicates that the final outcome will not be exactly favorable for Apple and Google. Both companies could be forced to make important decisions to promote competition.

Related topics: Apple

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