This story takes us back to 2021 when the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) of the United Kingdom announced an investigation into Apple following complaints about unfair conditions imposed on iOS and iPadOS app developers on the App Store. A similar investigation was also conducted with Google on the Play Store in 2022, but CMA has recently declared the investigations concluded.
CMA has refrained from concluding whether Apple and Google have acted unfairly, particularly concerning the in-store payment systems. However, they stated that both companies have now updated their terms to allow payments through alternative systems, enhancing competition and rendering the initial complaints moot.
Nevertheless, CMA acknowledges that developers still feel the new terms from both Apple and Google are not comprehensive enough, hinting that they may monitor the situation closely and potentially re-open investigations to determine if the original complaints are still valid.
Source: GOV.UK
TLDR: CMA concluded investigations into Apple and Google regarding unfair app store conditions after both companies updated their terms to allow alternative payment systems, though some developers feel the changes are insufficient. CMA may revisit the issue in the future.
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