The UK competition competition from Apple-Google Suopelect is “Anti-birth”.

The UK competition investigation of Apple and Google browsers for mobile phones concluded that mobile SUPOLY policies “hinder innovation” and can also limit economic growth.

“Mobile browsers are applications that provide a basic gateway for consumers to reach the web on their mobile devices, and therefore companies to reach them with their content and products. The problems we have identified that consumers can lose new features when using mobile browsers; and companies are limited in their ability to access consumers through browser applications,” runs a summary for 611 pages Final decision report Posted on Wednesday.

Most of the concerns specified are “Apple Policies that define how to browser browsers, the way we reach the web on mobile phones, and work on Apple devices,” according to press release.

These problems such as Apple require the use of its Webkit browser engine for other browsers on iOS, which limits its ability to distinguish between Apple’s Safari browser by providing improved features; Safari, which has a greater or early arrival to a major platform feature against competing browsers, which the investigative groups believe that the competition dares (including privacy features), and PWAS development (progressive web applications) on iOS; Borders in browsing, which places limits on the ability of competing browsers to serve the users of the application who click on the link to the web; And some issues of the selection structure.

When it comes to Google, the fears of the investigation group that focuses on the revenue sharing arrangements between Mountain View and Apple, where Google Apple pays a large share of the revenue of the search advertisement gained from the traffic on Safari and Chrome on iOS.

“We have found that Apple and Google are earning great revenues when their iOS mobile browser is used for Google, which greatly reduces their financial incentives for competition,” they notice, and they notice that the revenue sharing is very large so that it greatly limits financial incentives.

But there is no application on the horizon

Despite these negative results of negative results – and despite the competition fears in the UK about the Apple and Google grip on mobile devices that date back to several years at this stage – there is still any enforcement procedure on the horizon; The report recommends awaiting the operation of the powers of special abuse.

These powers will be opened if an active investigation of technology giants (Opened in JanuaryIt confirms that it is located in the range of anti -reinforced monopoly powers practiced by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) since then Great reform in the United Kingdom of the competition law targeting digital giants Entered In January. So the treatments for the specific anti -competition issues remain in the air.

The report is advised not to try to address competition concerns using the powers of investigation in the standard market – because it says that there is a “large number of risks to the effectiveness of these measures.”

The cloud games, which also formed part of the market investigation, were dropped from the investigation last November after some Changes by Apple The organizer is likely to reduce competition concerns.

The report issued by the independent investigation group, created by CMA when it opened an investigation into the market in the Apple and Google grip on the mobile phone again November 2022It follows similar primary conclusions Last fall. But the investigation group now says it is no longer concerned about some of the specific selection screen problems that it had previously raised.

She said an update by Apple in December to make changes on how to replace iOS users, and to solve their virtual browser fears that were on this basic system. Google presented the inquiry group “a new guide related to the use of claims to encourage users to adjust Chrome as a default browser on Android”, which also solved his fears.

At the same time, the investigation collection is still a problem with some other screen engineering design options that they said may make it difficult for users to switch to alternative mobile browsers versus Google browsers from Google.

Future treatments?

The final report indicates a set of potential treatments (or “appropriate interventions”, because it highlights) for fears of the mobile phone browser competition, which is fully determined in Approach d.

Suggested treatments include Apple’s claim to allow alternative browser engines and inter -operating requirements that impose equivalent access to iOS features for competing browsers, as well as a ban on chrome revenue share, among other things.

In addition, how to display the browser selection screens in Google in the framework of this approach, including the frequency of the popup in the virtual browser.

While none of the proposed treatments have been presented forward as part of the investigation of this CMA market, they can provide a directive to how the regulator is finally applied to Apple and Google Mobile SuPly.

This is on the assumption that achieving the digital market unit determines that they have the so -called strategic market status (SMS), which means that it will fall under the special abuse control system and can be subject to such detailed interventions. SMS investigations are expected to conclude on Apple and Google later this year.

Comment in a statement, Margot Dali, head of the independent investigation group in CMA, wrote:

“The analysis stipulated in our report and a set of potential interventions that have been considered to address the market problems that we have identified by CMA under its new powers, which were specially designed for digital markets. Therefore, I welcome the quick procedure for CMA to open the strategic market state investigations in both Apple and Google mobile phone systems. The comprehensive analysis that we have identified today will help this work with its progress.”

Apple and Google have been contacted to comment on the final report of the inquiry group.

Here Apple statement:

Apple believes in prosperous and dynamic markets where innovation can flourish. We face competition in every sector and judicial authority where we work, and our focus is always the confidence of our users. We have concerns about this report and we believe that the treatments you discuss will undermine privacy, security and the total user experience. We will continue to participate constructively with CMA to better address their fears. ”