United Kingdom: Competition and Markets Authority published final report on Google’s policies as part of mobile browsers and cloud gaming market investigation

On 12 March 2025, the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) independent inquiry group published its final report following a market investigation into mobile browsers and cloud gaming. The inquiry group withdrew its concerns about one specific aspect of Google's choice architecture practices after Google provided new evidence about its use of prompts encouraging users to set Chrome as their default browser on Android. Previously, the CMA opened investigations in January to determine whether Google should be designated as having strategic market status (SMS) under the new digital markets competition regime. The ongoing investigation covers Google's provision of mobile ecosystem services, including areas related to mobile browsers. If Google is designated with SMS, the inquiry group recommends the CMA consider imposing interventions that could enhance competition by allowing other browsers to offer innovative features and enabling users to actively choose their preferred mobile browser.