The German competition authority places Apple under stricter supervision. This American tech company has a lot of power in several sectors. That is why the maker of iPhones is given a special status that gives market watchdog Bundeskartellamt more options to open investigations into Apple.
The stricter supervision is possible thanks to a new competition law that Germany introduced in 2021. It was previously announced that the regulator is keeping an extra close eye on Google’s parent company, Alphabet, Facebook owner Meta and web store group Amazon because of their excellent market power in several industries.
Through the more than 2 billion iPhones sold, Apple largely determines which apps many smartphone owners have access to and in what way, Bundeskartellamt president Andreas Mundt points out. Apple is also behind the iOS operating system for iPhones and even develops specific chips for those devices. “This decision enables us to take effective action against anti-competitive practices.”
Last year, the regulator already announced an investigation into the rules Apple imposes on app developers for tracking users. These may penalize third-party app companies in favour of Apple’s apps.
