The platform fee starts with who gets to name the price.

In June 2026, the UK Competition and Markets Authority began consulting on proposed conduct requirements for Apple and Google’s mobile platforms. The proposal would remove restrictions that prevent, or limit, UK app developers from directing customers to payment options outside the platforms. It is a consultation, not a final requirement.

The CMA says steering is currently banned by Apple and restricted by Google in the UK. The proposed change would allow developers to bypass mandatory platform fees, while the CMA considers principles intended to ensure any fees associated with steering are fair and reasonable.

Payment choice is a product choice

An app-store fee is not only a business-to-business issue. When a platform controls the route through which a developer can tell a customer about a subscription, upgrade or alternative price, it also controls which choices that customer is allowed to see. The result can be a more expensive default that looks like the only option.

For customers, compare a service’s website with its in-app offer where the developer is permitted to show both. For developers, keep a record of platform terms, payment restrictions and the price difference they create. The practical test is simple: can the seller honestly explain the available choices without asking the platform for permission?

The proposal is still a proposal

In August 2026, the CMA published responses to its consultation on a proposed steering requirement for Google’s mobile platform. That is a step in the process, not a rule a customer or developer can rely on yet. The important distinction is between a regulator collecting views on a requirement and a requirement that has taken effect.

Until a final measure changes the available routes, compare an in-app price with a provider’s own website only where the seller can lawfully show both. A price difference alone does not establish that an app-store rule caused it; taxes, support, regional pricing and the service’s own commercial choices can also matter.