It looks like Apple will manage to stave off a possible fine and an European Union (EU) order over its iPhone browser options after it made changes to comply with landmark EU rules aimed at reining in Big Tech, reports Reuters.
The European Commission, which launched an investigation in March last year under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), is expected to close its investigation early next week, the article adds, quoting unnamed “people with direct knowledge of the matter.” The Commission argued that Apple’s design of the web browser screen on its smartphones could hinder users from switching to a rival browser or search engine.
Here is some background on the brouhaha: The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an investigation following its Mobile Ecosystems Market Study in 2021, which found that Apple and Google have an effective duopoly on mobile ecosystems, including operating systems, app stores and web browsers on mobile devices. This puts Apple and Google in a position to set the rules on how mobile browsers can work on iOS and Android devices respectively, according to the CMA.
The group provisionally (that is, temporarily) found that Apple’s rules restrict other competitors from being able to deliver new, innovative features that could benefit consumers. Other browser providers have highlighted concerns that they have been unable to offer a full range of browser features, such as faster webpage loading on iPhone.
Many smaller UK app developers also purportedly told the CMA that they would like to use progressive web apps – an alternative way for businesses to provide apps to mobile users without downloading apps through an app store – but this technology isn’t able to fully take off on iOS devices. In addition, the group has provisionally found that a revenue-sharing agreement between Apple and Google “significantly reduces their financial incentives to compete in mobile browsers on iOS.”
Other issues considered in the report include the way that users are presented with choices about which browser they use. The CMA has provisionally found that Apple and Google can manipulate these choices to make their own browsers the clearest or easiest option.
