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It's no secret that Google and Apple have monopolies in the application markets of their respective platforms. Apple owns the iOS and Google App Store on the Android Play Store. There is virtually no other way for third-party and independent developers to distribute their apps, which may be their only source of revenue. This gives Apple and Google an advantage in treating developers as they see fit, which may not always be preferable. The latest official report states that the Dutch Consumer and Market Authority (ACM) will investigate both markets.
ACM is worried about the lack of competition within this segment, which almost always causes unfair practices. In particular, ACM will investigate whether Apple and Google treat their own applications differently from competitors in their application markets. Google has been the subject of similar investigations by the European Commission, which has decided that Google gives preferential treatment to its services in the search engine results. According to ACM, they mainly received reports of unfair practices concerning Apple's App Store. Apparently, some developers have provided very detailed comments on these issues.
In addition to the survey, ACM will also launch a market research to verify the conditions of competition on the platforms. They are interested in the in-app payment system of the App Store and the Play Store. As you probably already know, both companies are asking companies to use the market's first-to-market integrated purchasing system with a 30% commission. IOS developers also complain that they can not exploit the full potential of devices, unlike Apple applications.
Since the investigation has not started yet, we obviously do not know the result. After the investigation, ACM may decide that Google and Apple do not violate the practices of fair competition at all.
Source: ACM
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