10:15 AM EST, 01/23/2025 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with Apple's ( AAPL ) response in the sixth paragraph.)

Apple ( AAPL ) and Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) Google ( GOOG ) are under scrutiny by the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) over their positions in mobile ecosystems such as operating systems, app stores, and browsers, the regulator said Thursday.

The CMA said it will evaluate whether the companies hold strategic market status and examine their impact on users and businesses developing apps and services.

Potential concerns include barriers to competition, leveraging market power to favor their own services, and imposing unfair terms on app developers, the CMA added.

The investigations are expected to conclude by October, and stakeholders are invited to comment until Feb. 12, the CMA said.

Oliver Bethell of Google ( GOOG ) told MT Newswires that Google ( GOOG ) supports a path forward that avoids stifling opportunities for UK consumers and businesses, Android's openness has expanded choice, reduced prices, and democratized access to smartphones and apps.

"We face competition in every segment and jurisdiction where we operate, and our focus is always the trust of our users," Apple ( AAPL ) told MT Newswires. "In the UK alone, the iOS app economy... makes it possible for developers big and small to reach users on a trusted platform. We will continue to engage constructively with the CMA as their work on this matter progresses."

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