Apple has accused antitrust investigators in India of “copy-pasting” claims made by its rivals and failing to carry out an independent investigation before concluding that the US technology company breached competition laws.
In a June 25 submission seen by Reuters, the company asked for the findings of the investigation to be set aside, marking its strongest challenge yet in the case before the Competition Commission of India.
Among the companies opposing Apple in the matter are, owner of Tinder, as well as Indian firms including Phonebe and Paytm
Investigators with the Competition Commission of India concluded in a 2024 report that Apple had engaged in “abusive conduct” on the app platform of its iOS operating system by requiring developers to use its payment system.
Apple rejected the allegations, arguing that it holds less than six per cent of India’s smartphone market and describing itself as a “minuscule player”. The company said the conclusions reached by investigators relied heavily on submissions from rivals rather than the regulator’s own analysis.
Apple further argued that any changes imposed on its App Store model could undermine the way its ecosystem operates.
The company stated that any “forced alterations to Apple’s carefully designed App Store could disrupt its integrated business model,” and opposed both penalties and behavioural remedies.
“The imposition of remedies would create regulatory uncertainty and could deter investments in India’s digital economy,” the company added.
Neither the Competition Commission of India nor its investigations unit responded to Reuters requests for comment. Apple also declined to comment publicly.
The case mirrors an earlier antitrust battle involving Google, which argued in 2023 that regulatory intervention could hamper its growth in India. The company was later required to alter some of its Android business practices in the country.
Senior officials of the Competition Commission of India are expected to hold a closed-door hearing with all parties involved in the case on July 21.
In its submission, Apple included comparison tables to support its claim that investigators had relied heavily on material supplied by rivals, including Match Group, PhonePe and Paytm.
“The DG (Director General) made no effort whatsoever to independently verify or critically assess these statements, often parroting them verbatim,” Apple said.
The company also argued that investigators had “blindly replicated” a chart on global consumer spending on mobile apps and games that had appeared in a 2024 ruling by regulators in the European Union, despite what it said were significantly different market conditions in India.
