Apple, Google Make Four Commitments to Improve Fairness and Transparency in App Stores

Apple and Google have agreed to make four changes to their respective app stores to make the marketplaces fairer and more transparent to third-party developers. The announcement was made by the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Tuesday after it raised questions about the company's duopoly in the mobile application sector. Among the changes are provisions to make app reviews more transparent, making app rankings on App Store and Play Store more objective and non-discriminatory, safeguards for collected data, and interoperability features.

Apple, Google to Make Four Changes to Their App Marketplaces

In a press release, CMA announced that Apple and Google have agreed to make immediate improvements in their respective marketplaces to ensure transparency and fairness for third-party apps and developers. Among them, three changes apply to both entities, while a specific change regarding interoperability applies to Apple. The UK watchdog is now seeking comments on these commitments and said it will closely monitor the implementation of the changes and will report its findings publicly.

“Following designation of Apple and Google's mobile platforms in October last year, the CMA has moved swiftly to secure a package of commitments from Apple and Google that will boost the UK's app economy, giving developers the opportunity and confidence they need to invest and innovate,” said Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA.

Both Apple and Google have agreed to review apps submitted to their marketplaces in a fair, objective, and transparent manner. Additionally, they have committed to not discriminating against apps which compete with their own apps. The companies have also agreed to ensure app rankings take place with the same due diligence.

Third, both Apple and Google have agreed to safeguard the app data they collect from developers during the app review process and not to use it unfairly. Finally, the iPhone maker will make it easier for developers to request interoperable access to features on iOS and iPadOS. The Cupertino-based tech giant has agreed to consider the requests fairly and objectively.

Both companies will also share data around the proportion of apps submitted for review, approved, rejected, and appealed. Apart from this, the App Store and the Play Store will also share the time taken for app review and the number of complaints received, along with their outcomes. Apple will also share data on interoperability requests received, outcomes, and timelines.

In case either of the companies fails to implement the commitments effectively, the CMA said it will impose formal “conduct requirements.”

“While we believe Play's existing developer practices are fair, objective, and transparent, we welcome the opportunity to resolve the CMA's concerns collaboratively. Our proposed voluntary commitments will continue to provide transparency on our app review, ranking and data usage policies and practices to ensure developers understand the many choices available to them on Google Play,” Google said in a blog post.