Apple told the UK competition regulator that the new App Store “steering” rules it has proposed would give the company a “highly intrusive” role in managing its business, the company said in its response to a Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) consultation. The regulator is considering forcing Apple to let developers direct users to payment options outside the App Store — a move the CMA says would cut commissions and boost competition.
What the CMA is proposing
The CMA would allow developers in the UK to link customers to off‑App Store payment routes, a capability that is not currently permitted in the UK (unlike rules already in place in the US and parts of the EU). The authority says Apple could still charge a commission, but that fee must be “fair and reasonable” and lower than current rates so any savings can be passed on to consumers or reinvested by developers.
Why Apple calls it intrusive
Apple argues the proposed steering rules would undermine innovation and investment and amount to a form of price regulation by imposing limits on commissions. In its submission the company says it found no evidence that enabling developers to steer users to external payments would result in lower prices for customers. Apple also points out the App Store supported more than £46.5 billion in billings and sales in the UK in 2025, and that commissions represented less than 3.5% of that total.
CMA response and the competition stakes
The CMA rejects the “price regulation” label, saying its consultation is intended to set principles that ensure fees charged by Apple and Google for steering are fair and reasonable, not to set specific rates. The regulator is currently reviewing responses before making a final decision. The proposed obligations would also apply to Google: both companies were designated last year as firms with Strategic Market Status (SMS), giving the CMA powers to require measures aimed at opening their ecosystems to greater competition.
Apple and the CMA are prioritising different objectives — protecting platform ecosystems and revenues on one side, and increasing openness and lowering costs for developers and users on the other — and the regulator’s final ruling will shape how app payments and distribution evolve in the UK. The CMA is still reviewing submissions ahead of announcing its measures.
