Apple agrees to submit India financials in App Store antitrust case
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has agreed to supply local financial data to India's antitrust regulator, dropping its long-standing refusal to do so as part of a high-stakes probe into its mobile app marketplace dominance.
The U.S. technology giant requested a "final extension" until June 25 to hand over its India-specific financial details to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), according to an agency order.
The watchdog granted the request, signaling a significant shift for Apple, which had previously attempted to halt the regulatory proceedings while challenging the validity of India's updated antitrust enforcement rules.
The case represents Apple’s most prominent regulatory hurdle in India, a country it views as a critical growth market.
As Apple seeks to diversify its manufacturing supply chains beyond China, its commercial footprint in India has expanded rapidly.
The iPhone now accounts for roughly 9% of the Indian smartphone market, up from just 2% five years ago, according to market data from Counterpoint Research.
CCI investigators previously concluded in 2024 that Apple leveraged its dominant position to engage in anti-competitive behavior.
The watchdog found the company's App Store operated as an "unavoidable trading partner" for mobile developers by forcing them to use Apple’s proprietary in-app billing system and blocking cheaper, third-party payment integrations.
Apple has denied any wrongdoing and maintained that it will contest the core findings.
The Cupertino, California-based company had previously resisted sharing its internal financial records, arguing that the CCI's investigation should be paused until the Delhi High Court rules on its parallel constitutional challenge.
That dispute stems from recent legislative amendments that empower the CCI to penalize multinational corporations based on their global turnover rather than just domestic revenue.
Apple has warned that applying the global turnover rule could theoretically expose it to an unprecedented fine of up to US$38 billion.
While the Delhi High Court recently directed the CCI not to issue its final ruling before July 15, a judge ordered Apple to cooperate with the regulator's requests for information.
The CCI has consistently maintained that it only requires India-specific financials for its initial determinations, accusing the tech heavyweight of using parallel litigation to stall domestic enforcement.
The legal action against Apple was initiated in 2021 by a non-profit group, alongside Tinder parent Match Group and the Alliance of Digital India Foundation (ADIF), a coalition representing Indian startups.
During a recent hearing, ADIF urged the regulator against granting further extensions, citing competitive harm to local app creators who are restricted from using third-party transaction processors.
By setting a strict June 25 deadline for data submission, the CCI has cleared a major procedural roadblock, moving the case closer to a final evaluation of financial damages.