Google has condemned the UK’s decision to classify Android and Chrome as platforms with strategic market status, arguing that the CMA’s move undermines innovation and ignores the openness and economic value of its mobile ecosystem.
Google has sharply criticised the UK competition watchdog’s decision to designate its Android and Chrome ecosystems with “strategic market status” (SMS), calling the move “disappointing, disproportionate, and unwarranted”.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) confirmed this week that both Google and Apple will now face tighter regulatory scrutiny under the UK’s Digital Markets Competition Regime, which grants the regulator new powers to rein in the dominance of Big Tech platforms.
The CMA argued that Android, the Google Play Store, and the Chrome browser form part of a mobile platform that gives the company entrenched market power in smartphones and tablets.
In response, Google defended its open-source model, emphasising that Android fosters choice and competition rather than restricting it.
Google said in a statement: “Android and Chrome were built on the idea of creating more choice, not less.
“Anyone – including our competitors – can customise and build devices with the open-source Android operating system, for free.”
Google highlighted that 70 per cent of Android devices in the UK run non-Chrome browsers, and that two-thirds ship with alternative app stores preloaded.
The company also noted that users can install apps from outside Google Play – a freedom not offered by Apple’s iOS.
The tech giant argued that its ecosystem drives major economic benefits, claiming Android supports over 457,000 UK jobs and generates nearly £10 billion in revenue for British app developers annually.
Google added: “The CMA has itself found that 91 per cent of UK consumers are satisfied with their Android devices.”
While the designation itself does not allege wrongdoing, it enables the CMA to impose future conduct requirements to open the market to rivals.
Google warned that the next steps “will be crucial if the UK’s digital markets regime is to meet its promise of being pro-growth and pro-innovation”.
Google hits back as its Android and Chrome systems face stricter rules in the UK
