Statement | ADIF welcomes CCI's decision to open probe into Apple, commends the regulator's commitment towards protecting the interests of Indian app owners

The observation by the CCI that anti-competitive restrictions on app developers and not end-users of Apple's response is noteworthy and significant.

ADIF welcomes CCI’s decision to open the investigation into Apple over alleged abuse of the app market. Apple’s app store practices have been restrictive and at times even violative of rights of app owners to conduct their business. The probe by CCI comes at a time where Apple is facing scrutiny from antitrust regulators in other geographies including the US.

Sijo Kuruvilla @sijokuruvilla

Apple alongside Google has been maintaining a stranglehold on the app economy by imposing unfair rules on their respective application stores and choking innovation.

Aditya Kalra @adityakalra

India's antitrust body orders investigation into Apple. Apple had denied allegations & asked the regulator to throw out the case, stressing its market share in India was an "insignificant" 0-5%. The CCI said Apple's argument was "completely misdirected" https://t.co/nHeBEP0Yof

"Apple alongside Google has been maintaining a stranglehold on the app economy by imposing unfair rules on their respective application stores and choking innovation. There are a host of anti-competitive issues that plagues both their app marketplaces; the most vexing of them being the imposition of their own in-app billing systems on app owners: a clear case of abuse of their dominance," said Sijo Kuruvilla George, the Executive Director of ADIF.

The observation by the CCI that anti-competitive restrictions on app developers and not end-users of Apple's response is noteworthy and significant. We commend the CCI’s commitment to uphold the rule of law & its leadership in protecting the interests of Indian app startups & app owners.

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Founded in 2020, ADIF (Alliance of Digital India Foundation) is an industry body for India’s digital startups formed to fully capitalise on the sector’s promise with the objective of its long-term prosperity in mind. ADIF aims to transform the Indian startup ecosystem into the top 3 globally by 2030.

Among the issues ADIF is working on, we are fighting Google and Apple on their app store monopolies.

The Alliance is now 460+ members strong. Join the Alliance of Digital India to become a part of our journey to transform India’s startup ecosystem into the best in the world.