Apple Says UK’s Remedies For Cloud Gaming On iOS Are “Unreasonable”

Apple has taken issue with the remedies proposed by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority to open up iOS to more cloud gaming services.

The company issued a response, now available online, to the UK regulator’s statement that it would begin a phase two investigation into the landscape for mobile browsers and cloud gaming.

Related: Apple Files Appeal Against The UK Watchdog’s Cloud Gaming Probe

Within its statement of issues, the CMA proposed the following remedies to address potential barriers to cloud gaming on Apple’s ecosystem:

• Compelling Apple, and other app store operators, to review and amend guidelines to ensure cloud gaming providers are not unduly impacted
• Allowing prompts that let users know when a cloud gaming app is available as a web app
• Making app store approval and rejection processes more transparent and consistent
• Enabling sideloading of native apps on iOS
• Enabling the distribution of web apps through Apple’s App Store
• Enabling the installation of alternative app stores on iOS

In its response, Apple said: “It is without doubt that these remedies are aimed, not at cloud gaming, but at wider concerns identified in the MEMS [Mobile Ecosystem Market Study] final report with app distribution, for which the CMA considered that alternative actors/action was better placed to address those concerns.”

It continued, “It is therefore plainly inappropriate and unreasonable for the CMA to now attempt to shoehorn these remedies into its consideration of cloud gaming,” adding that the regulator itself recommended some of these issues be handled by the upcoming Digital Markets Unit.