CMA Proposes Letting UK App Developers Steer Users to Off-Platform Payment on Apple and Google

On June 30, 2026, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened a consultation on new requirements for Apple's and Google's mobile platforms. The headline proposal would remove restrictions that currently stop UK app developers from "steering" customers to payment options outside the app stores.

For any business that sells subscriptions, digital content or upgrades through an app, this is a pricing and product design question as much as a regulatory one. It is relevant whether you are planning iPhone app development, an Android release, or both, because the payment flow is one of the hardest parts of an app to change after launch.

The key point to hold on to is the status. These are proposals. As of October 4, 2026, we have not found a final CMA decision on its site, so nothing described below has changed what developers are allowed to do today. This article is a high-level summary and is not legal advice.

What the CMA proposed on June 30, 2026

According to the CMA's press release, steering is the ability for developers to engage with customers about off-platform options. The CMA says this is currently banned by Apple and restricted by Google in the UK. The proposed conduct requirements would lift those restrictions so that developers could direct UK customers to pay elsewhere, for example on the developer's own website.

The CMA's consultation page for Google describes the aim as enabling app developers to steer users out of the app to complete transactions on fair and reasonable terms. A parallel consultation covered Apple.

What the proposal says about fees

Removing a restriction does not mean steering would be free. The press release says the consultation includes principles to ensure that any fees Apple and Google charge for steering are fair and reasonable. The CMA states that it expects steering fees to be lower than current app store charges, with the savings passed on to UK customers or invested back into developers' businesses.

It also says fees would need to be justified through an evidence-led framework with reference to both cost and value. The press release does not set a specific fee level, and we have not included any figure here because none appears in the source we read.

The separate question of NFC access on iPhone

The same announcement launched a call for evidence on access to near field communication (NFC) on iOS. NFC is the short-range technology behind contactless payments. The CMA is considering a requirement that would give developers access to this functionality so that their own apps could offer contactless transactions and digital wallets.

The press release mentions possible future uses such as account-to-account payments, digital ID and car keys, and asks developers for views on technical delivery and pricing. This is at an earlier stage than steering. The CMA's programme of work across mobile platforms, last updated on August 14, 2026, refers to measures on NFC that it expects to consult on in autumn 2026.

Where the process stands

It helps to separate what is already in effect from what is proposed.

In effect

Apple and Google were designated as having strategic market status in their mobile platforms in October 2025. On February 10, 2026, the CMA announced commitments from both companies covering fair and transparent app review, non-discriminatory app ranking, safeguards on data gathered during app review, and easier developer access to iOS features. The CMA's case page for Apple records final commitments being published on April 1, 2026. These are commitments offered by the companies, not rules imposed on them.

Proposed

The steering consultation closed at 5pm on July 28, 2026, and the NFC call for evidence at 5pm on July 21, 2026. The Apple case page shows that responses to the steering consultation were published on August 14, 2026. The June 30 press release says a decision on whether to impose the new requirements will be taken later in 2026. We could not confirm a more precise date.

What it could mean for a business with an app

This section is interpretation, offered as guidance. It assumes the proposal is adopted in something like its current form, which is not certain.

Today, a typical app that sells digital goods routes those purchases through the platform's own billing system and pays the platform's charge on each sale. If steering is permitted in the UK, a developer could tell users inside the app that a different price or payment route exists on the web and send them there. That opens up choices about pricing, customer relationships and billing data that are currently constrained.

It also brings costs. An off-platform payment route means your own checkout, a payment processor, tax handling, refunds, subscription management and fraud controls, plus the customer support that goes with them. Sending a user out of the app to a browser adds a step, and some people will not complete it. Whether the numbers work depends on the final fee terms, which are not yet known, and on how your customers behave.

The proposal is specific to the UK. A US company with UK users would be affected for those users, while its position in the US, the EU and other markets is governed by different rules that this article does not cover. In practice, that points toward payment logic that can vary by country rather than a single global flow.

What to do next

There is no action required by law at this stage. There are sensible preparations.

• Do not change your in-app purchase flow on the basis of the consultation. Current Apple and Google rules still apply until a final requirement takes effect.
• If you are building or rebuilding an app, keep billing behind a clean interface in your backend so that a web checkout can be added for one country without rewriting the app.
• Make sure user accounts and entitlements live on your own server, so a purchase made on the web unlocks content in the app.
• Work out what share of your app revenue comes from UK users. That tells you how much attention the final decision deserves.
• Watch the CMA's programme page for the decision and for the NFC consultation.

These design choices are cheap at the planning stage and expensive later, and they apply equally on Android and iOS. They are also useful beyond this one proposal, because they let you change how you charge in one market without touching the rest.

Why the CMA is doing this

The press release places the proposal in the context of the UK's digital markets competition regime, which it describes as 18 months old at the time of the announcement. The CMA says it has concluded three strategic market status investigations and launched a fourth, and has already imposed three conduct requirements on Google in relation to search.

When it announced the February commitments, the CMA's chief executive, Sarah Cardell, called them "important first steps" while work continued on additional measures. The CMA also said it would move swiftly to impose formal conduct requirements if the companies failed to comply. The steering proposal is one of those further measures, and it would be a formal requirement instead of a voluntary commitment.

Conclusion

The CMA proposed on June 30, 2026 to let UK app developers steer customers to off-platform payment, with any Apple or Google steering fee held to fair and reasonable terms and expected to be lower than current app store charges. The consultation has closed, responses were published on August 14, 2026, and the CMA has said a decision will come later in 2026. A separate strand on iPhone NFC access is at an earlier stage.

Until a decision is published, treat this as something to design for and not something to act on. If you are planning an app and want its payment and account architecture to cope with rule changes like this, you can request a quote from Entrant Technologies and we can talk through the options.