The document systematizes contributions on competition, regulation and competitive dynamics in the iOS and Android ecosystems.
The Administrative Council for Economic Defense of Brazil (CADE) has released the technical report of the Public Hearing “Competition in Mobile Device Digital Ecosystems (iOS and Android),” held on February 19, 2025. The document presents a structured synthesis of the main topics and arguments discussed during the hearing, based on the oral and written submissions provided by participants.
The report organizes the contributions around four central axes. The first addresses regulatory and institutional arrangements in digital markets, bringing together differing views on whether ex post competition enforcement is sufficient to deal with digital ecosystems and on the possible need for asymmetric ex ante instruments aimed at platforms acting as gatekeepers. The submissions also discuss ways to coordinate competition and regulatory tools, as well as the potential impacts of these approaches on legal certainty, innovation and economic efficiency.
Another axis examines the structure and competitive dynamics of the Android and iOS ecosystems, comparing business models, degrees of openness, vertical integration and relationships among users, developers and device manufacturers. The contributions diverge regarding the level of rivalry between the systems, highlighting, on the one hand, competition for users and developers and, on the other, the presence of switching costs, single-homing and multi-homing patterns, and potential limits to competitive discipline, particularly at the app store level.
The document also systematizes alleged unilateral conduct in mobile ecosystems, as reported in participants’ submissions. Recurring themes include pre-installation agreements and default app settings, anti-steering rules, mandatory use of native payment systems, commission policies, access to technical functionalities and restrictions on alternative distribution channels. The contributions assess the possible effects of these practices on prices, quality, innovation, contestability and rivals’ access to key inputs.
The report further incorporates an international perspective, with references to cases and regulatory initiatives in jurisdictions such as the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and Australia. These experiences are used to illustrate different combinations of competition enforcement and sectoral regulation, as well as to discuss, in a non-uniform manner, the extent to which certain solutions could be transposed to the Brazilian context.
Prepared on the basis of the contributions presented at the public hearing, the report is descriptive and systematizing in nature and seeks to provide transparency and qualified input to the debate on competition in mobile device digital ecosystems in Brazil.
Source: Gov.br
