Meta, Spotify, and Match Launch Coalition Against Apple and Google

AI Analysis

A new coalition of major tech companies, including Meta, Spotify, and Match Group, is challenging Apple and Google's dominance in the mobile app ecosystem. The "Coalition for a Competitive Mobile Experience" argues that these gatekeepers should bear legal responsibility for verifying users' ages and accuse them of anti-competitive business practices.The coalition's concerns center on the growing push for digital safeguards to protect minors from unsuitable apps. Apple and Google have so faesisted taking primary responsibility for age verification, instead suggesting that individual app developers should implement this themselves. However, the coalition claims that these companies are best positioned to establish uniform protocols across devices and markets.The coalition's goals extend beyond age verification, focusing on highlighting broader issues with Apple's app distribution practices, including its commission rates, in-app purchase requirements, and restrictions on alternative marketplaces. By challenging Apple and Google's role in the ecosystem, the coalition aims to promote a more competitive and safer mobile environment for developers and users alike.

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Original Article

A new lobbying group formed by Meta, Spotify, and Match Group is challenging Apple and Google's role in the mobile app ecosystem, arguing the company should bear legal responsibility for verifying users' ages and accusing them of anti-competitive business practices that disadvantage developers, Bloomberg reports.


The "Coalition for a Competitive Mobile Experience" is a coordinated effort by these major companies to influence federal and state legislation amid mounting pressure to implement digital safeguards for minors. The coalition intends to lobby lawmakers, engage with federal regulators, and support ongoing antitrust enforcement actions against Apple and Google.

The group's immediate concern is a growing legislative push to require age verification for users downloading mobile apps that may be unsuitable for minors. A law enacted in Utah in March requires app stores to verify a user's age and obtain parental consent before allowing minors to download certain applications. Additional proposals are reportedly being drafted at the federal level.

The coalition's members argue that Apple and Google, as gatekeepers of the iOS App Store and Google Play Store respectively, are best positioned to implement uniform age verification protocols across devices and markets. By contrast, Apple and Google have maintained that responsibility should lie with individual app developers, who are directly collecting and processing user data within their apps.

In recent years, Apple has introduced features aimed at limiting children's exposure to harmful content, including communication safety tools and default app restrictions for child accounts, but the company has been reluctant to assume primary responsibility for verifying user identities at the download stage.

Beyond age verification, the coalition aims to highlight broader concerns over Apple's app distribution practices. These include the company's 15–30% commission on digital transactions, mandatory use of its in-app purchase system, and restrictions on alternative app marketplaces or payment methods.
This article, "Meta, Spotify, and Match Launch Coalition Against Apple and Google" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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