Apple should stop gatekeeping its iPhones.
(Photo : Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Employees stand in an Apple retail store in Grand Central Terminal, January 3, 2019 in New York City. U.S. stocks dropped again on Thursday after Apple warned that its first-quarter sales would be less than expected.
This is what the Department of Commerce's NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) wants to happen.
On Wednesday, Feb. 1, NTIA released a new report to call out Google and Apple since they are the largest companies in the mobile app markets.
"The current mobile app store model is harmful to consumers and developers, and recommended policy changes to fix it," said NTIA via its official press release.
Apple Should STOP Gatekeeping iPhones, Says NTIA
According to Gizmodo's latest report, NTIA wants Apple to open its Apple App Store to other apps outside its mobile ecosystem.
(Photo : Photo credit should read DENIS CHARLET/AFP via Getty Images)
A picture taken on August 28, 2019 shows the US multinational technology and Internet-related services company Google logo (top L), US online store application Amazon (top C), US online social media and social networking service, Facebook (top R) and US multinational technology company Apple logo application (down C) displayed on a tablet in Lille.
The U.S. agency said that consumers not being able to access the apps easily prefer it is a problem on both iOS and Android platforms.
NTIA added that users should be given the option to choose the apps they want to use by default and use alternative mobile app stores.
As of writing, Android enables users to choose the default mobile browser and launcher from any app developer with Play Store access.
However, Apple doesn't allow this kind of customization. Instead, the iPhone maker launched an app drawer that allows its users to hide the pre-installed applications that they don't want to use.
NTIA said that this should not be the case. The agency explained that consumers must be able to delete pre-installed apps from their mobile interfaces entirely.
The agency explained that their suggestions are part of the Biden Administration's efforts to promote competition and innovation in the tech industry.
What NTIA Wants Apple and Google to Do
NTIA provided all changes it thinks can improve the competition in the app market. These include the following:
- Operators should lift restrictions on alternative ways for consumers to download and install apps.
- App store operators should not be able to "self-preference" their apps in an anti-competitive manner.
- Consumers should have more control over their devices.
- Addressing limits on in-app purchasing options.
You can click this link to see more details about NTIA's suggestions.
Aside from the gatekeeping accusations, Apple recently faced other problems as well.
These include the alleged labor rights violations of Apple executives and imposed policies.
The recent Apple Home App update also caused widespread problems, leading to the pull and addition of an internal database.
For more news updates about Apple and other tech firms in the app market, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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