Today the CMA has announced its proposed decision to designate Google’s ‘Mobile Platform’ (Android, Play, Chrome, Blink) with ‘strategic market status’, along with a roadmap of potential interventions.
Android is open source and Chrome is built on our browser engine Blink, which is also open source. Together with Play, these offerings enable great choice, security and innovation for users. That’s why today’s announcement is both disappointing and unwarranted.
Ensuring effective digital regulation matters for developers and app users, but also for the economy at large. In 2022, Android generated over £9.9 billion in revenue for British developers, and supported over 457,000 jobs across the UK. We estimate that Android has saved developers over one million days they would otherwise spend adapting to different operating models for each smartphone – the equivalent of £300 million in reduced costs.
It is therefore crucial that any new regulation is evidence-based, proportionate, and does not become a roadblock to growth in the UK. We remain committed to constructive engagement with the CMA for the duration of this process.
