India’s competition regulator issues final warning to Apple in probe

India’s Competition Commission has issued a final warning to Apple Inc., saying it will press ahead with a long‑running antitrust investigation into the company’s App Store practices if the iPhone maker continues to delay furnishing requested information and objections. The warning appears in a confidential CCI order dated December 31 and signals that the regulator is prepared to move forward even without Apple’s active cooperation.

The case began in 2022 when a group of Indian startups and Match Group, owner of Tinder, lodged complaints alleging Apple abused its dominance in the iOS app ecosystem. Investigators concluded in 2024 that Apple had engaged in conduct that harmed app developers and consumers, and the CCI invited Apple in October 2024 to file formal objections to the investigation report and to provide financial disclosures typically used to assess penalties.

Apple sought and obtained multiple extensions after that October request. The CCI’s December order criticized those delays, noting that Apple had taken more than a year to respond to key queries. The regulator wrote that “repeated extensions, despite unambiguous directions, undermine procedural discipline and impede the timely conclusion of proceedings,” and added that “Such indulgence cannot be continued indefinitely.” The order gave Apple a short deadline, reported as “by next week,” and warned the regulator would continue the proceedings unilaterally if the company did not comply.

The dispute sits at the intersection of administrative enforcement and ongoing litigation. Apple has challenged India’s method for calculating penalties in court, arguing that if the CCI applied a global‑turnover approach the company could face fines as high as $38 billion. Apple denies the allegations of anti‑competitive conduct and has asked the Delhi High Court to review the penalty‑calculation rules. The CCI rejected Apple’s request to stay the administrative probe while that judicial challenge proceeds.

With the Delhi High Court still considering Apple’s challenge, the regulator’s refusal to pause internal proceedings underlines a broader enforcement posture: authorities in India appear unwilling to allow procedural delays to stall administrative remedies indefinitely. If the CCI proceeds without Apple’s participation, it could finalize findings and move to calculate penalties based on the record before it, a step that would likely invite further litigation.

The outcome has implications beyond this single case. A unilateral push by India’s competition authority could set a precedent for how national regulators handle platform gatekeepers, particularly around app distribution, in‑app payment rules and the terms that shape app developers’ access to consumers. Regulators elsewhere are watching how major technology firms navigate a patchwork of national rules that increasingly target platform economics.

Several key facts remain unresolved. The CCI has not publicly confirmed any specific penalty figure, and the $38 billion exposure reflects Apple’s own assertion about a global turnover calculation, not a regulatorally declared amount. The exact timing of any unilateral action beyond the order’s brief deadline was not specified.

As of January 15, Apple had not issued a public statement responding to the CCI’s warning. The coming week may determine whether the case advances toward penalty assessment or intensifies in parallel with Apple’s court challenge.