According to a Market Study Report on Mobile OS and Mobile App Distribution recently published by Japan’s Fair Trade Commission, Google and Apple have a sizable monopoly on the markets for smartphones, mobile operating systems, app stores, and smartwatches, leaving little room for rivals. The regulator has suggested four sets of actions to promote a healthy and fair competitive environment in the mobile ecosystem in order to address this issue. Follow For More Updates at satiknews.com
The initial set of measures emphasises preventing self-preferencing while simultaneously guaranteeing fair access for outside developers. The regulator advises actions including granting all developers—not just those working for Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS—equal access to OS features and advance notice of changes. The study also demands that third-party payment options be available for app and in-app transactions.
The second set of changes aims to increase user data portability between operating systems and foster a healthy level of competition in the mobile OS and app industries. The paper also suggests permitting third-party app stores if they adhere to specific security and privacy requirements, which might be good news for businesses that have criticised Apple’s stringent app review policy.
The third proposal calls for increased transparency and advanced warning from Apple and Google when revising rules for developers. It emphasises fairness in establishing and enforcing standards. The fourth suggestion encourages competitiveness in relation to the development of fresh ecosystems.
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Japan is hardly the only country attempting to control app shops. Other significant economies, such as South Korea, Australia, India, and the European Union, have either already taken comparable actions or have made it known that they intend to do so. In anticipation of change, Google has already started to accede to requests for third-party payment access, whereas Apple is still more reluctant to expose its environment. Although the report doesn’t specify a timetable for action, the Japanese government has made modernising markets a top goal, so change is probably coming.
