UK regulator moves to loosen Apple and Google app payment rules
Britain wants Apple and Google to let UK app makers steer users to cheaper payments, a shift that could cut fees for games, subscriptions and digital wallets.
Britain’s competition regulator moved to loosen the rules that have long governed how app makers collect payments inside Apple and Google ecosystems, opening the door for UK developers to send users to cheaper checkout options outside the app stores. Steering restrictions on both platforms have made it harder for developers to point customers toward alternatives, and the Competition and Markets Authority wants any steering fees set by Apple or Google to be fair, reasonable and lower than current app store charges.
Game makers, subscription apps and other businesses that rely on in-app sales are among the first beneficiaries. The CMA wants the savings to flow through to consumers or be reinvested in innovation. Apple did not immediately respond. Google has already made changes consistent with the direction of travel, including new Play Store terms that allow some off-platform steering.
The proposal also reaches beyond billing. Apple should open access to its near-field communication technology, which could let developers build contactless payment functions directly into their own iPhone apps. The wider set of possible uses includes account-to-account payments, digital currency, stablecoins, digital ID and car keys.
The broader campaign began when the CMA opened its mobile ecosystems market study on 15 June 2021 and closed it on 10 June 2022. On 22 October 2025, the regulator designated both Apple and Google with strategic market status in their mobile platforms after hearing from more than 150 stakeholders. The CMA puts the UK app economy at about 1.5% of GDP and around 400,000 jobs, while its June 30, 2026 consultation estimates Apple’s App Store affected hundreds of thousands of UK businesses and estimates 1 million to 2 million native apps, up to 1 million developers and 20 million to 30 million monthly native app downloads in the UK in 2024.
The regulator’s new digital markets competition regime came into force on 1 January 2025, giving it targeted powers to impose conduct requirements on firms with strategic market status. Which? backed the steering requirement in an April 20, 2026 submission, arguing it could lower prices, improve app experiences and give developers more room to sharpen their products.
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