Japan puts pressure on Apple and Google that the app stores of the two companies may violate Japan's anti-monopoly law

CTOnews.com, February 10 (Xinhua) according to a new report from the Japan Fair Trade Commission (FTC) disclosed by Nikkei, the relevant policies of Apple App Store and Google Play Store may violate Japan's anti-monopoly law.

Japanese regulators believe that Apple and Google have a duopoly in the field of mobile operating systems. Apple has a market share of 46.6% for iOS and 53.4% for Google Android, which dominates the application market and does not create enough "competitive pressure."

Japanese regulators want Apple and Google to allow users to choose third-party payment methods for applications and services, rather than forcing them to use the purchase options built into App Store and Play Store.

Both companies made adjustments in 2022: Google allowed apps to use third-party payment options, and Apple passed legislation requiring alternative payments in very few countries.

CTOnews.com looked at the documents and found that Japan's FTC believed the two companies had abused their dominant bargaining power by setting the commission rate for app stores at between 15 and 30 per cent.

Apple responded that a commission-based model was the best way to encourage development, while Google said most developers charged 15% or less.

The two companies are also accused of manipulating search rankings to make their own apps better than their competitors, a charge they deny.