UK CMA proposes easing Apple and Google app store payment steering rules

Proposals could open cheaper routes for purchases made through third parties

CMA says developers should be able to steer users away from app stores for payments to increase competitionBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK’s competition watchdog is challenging Apple and Google’s “effective duopoly” over mobile platforms by allowing developers to steer users away from their app stores to make purchases.The Competition and Markets Authority argues that consumers and app owners are being let down by Apple and Google restrictions on spending money outside their app stores. Continue reading...

British regulators want Apple and Google to let developers steer users to payment methods beyond the company’s app stores. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) issued a proposal Tuesday (June 30) that would lift the restrictions imposed by the companies that prevent app developers from directing users to alternative methods of payment. “We think it […] The post Apple and Google Urged to Offer Alternative UK Payment Paths appeared first on PYMNTS.com.

CMA regulator launches consultation on whether Big Tech groups should allow rival payments

The U.K.'s competition regulator has proposed letting app developers direct users to payment options outside Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store, in a move aimed at increasing competition and reducing the fees charged by the two companies. As reported by Reuters, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the proposals would remove restrictions that currently prevent U.K. developers from directing users to off-platform payment options. The regulator said any fees Apple and Google charge developers for enabling such "steering" must be fair and reasonable, remain below existing App Store and Play Store commissions, and allow developers to either pass savings on to consumers or reinvest them in innovation. The CMA said it was also considering making Apple open up access to its near-field communication (NFC) technology, which is used for Apple Pay contactless payments. This would allow developers to potentially offer alternative payment options within their own apps. Last year, Apple was designated with strategic market status (SMS) in the U.K. for iOS and iPadOS, which enables the CMA to initiate targeted interventions designed to open the platforms to greater competition. Apple has previously said it does not support allowing developers to direct users to off-platform payments. The company argues this ​could undermine user security and fraud ​protections, and limit its ability ⁠to verify transactions. An Apple spokesperson told Reuters it could open the door to "scams, bait-and-switch tactics, and the circumvention of parental controls." "When users are directed away from Apple's trusted payment infrastructure, they lose the protections ​they rely on Apple to provide," the spokesperson said, adding the U.S. tech giant would continue to "make ​our concerns clear" ⁠to the CMA. In February, Apple and Google agreed to a series of changes aimed at making their app stores fairer for developers. Under terms published by the CMA, both companies said they will ensure apps are reviewed and ranked on their app stores in a "fair, objective and transparent way," without discrimination against apps that compete with their own services. Apple must allow developers to more easily request access to iOS features and functionality, which could clear the way for third-party apps to better compete with Apple's own services.Tags: Apple Antitrust, App Store, United KingdomThis article, "UK Pushes Apple to Loosen App Store Payment and NFC Rules" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

The CMA is consulting on forcing the tech giants to allow developers to steer customers away from their platforms for payment.