Apple has sharply escalated its legal battle with India’s competition watchdog, accusing investigators of relying heavily on competitors’ allegations rather than conducting an independent inquiry as the company seeks to overturn preliminary findings that it violated the country’s antitrust laws.
In a submission dated June 25 to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), Apple argued that investigators effectively “copy-pasted” claims made by rival companies when concluding that the iPhone maker abused its dominant position through the App Store on its iOS operating system.
The filing marks Apple’s strongest response yet to an investigation that began more than two years ago and has attracted complaints from companies including Tinder owner Match Group as well as Indian digital payments firms and technology startups.
Last year, CCI investigators issued a confidential report concluding that Apple had engaged in “abusive conduct” by requiring developers to use its proprietary payment system for App Store transactions.
Apple has consistently denied the allegations, arguing that its position in India’s smartphone market is far too limited to support claims of market dominance.
The company said it accounts for less than 6% of India’s smartphone market and argued the investigation relied primarily on statements from rivals instead of objective regulatory analysis.
Apple also warned that forcing changes to the App Store could undermine its integrated business model and discourage future investment in India’s technology sector.
“The imposition of remedies would create regulatory uncertainty and could deter investments in India’s digital economy,” the company said in its submission while urging regulators not to impose penalties or behavioral remedies.
The Competition Commission of India and its investigation division did not respond to requests for comment. Apple also declined to comment publicly.
The case will proceed to a closed-door hearing scheduled for July 21, when senior CCI officials are expected to hear arguments from all parties involved.
In its filing, Apple presented detailed comparisons that it said demonstrate investigators reproduced arguments submitted by rivals, including Match Group, Walmart-backed PhonePe and Indian fintech company Paytm, without conducting their own verification.
“The DG (Director General) made no effort whatsoever to independently verify or critically assess these statements, often parroting them verbatim,” Apple said.
The company further argued that investigators also duplicated portions of a 2024 European Union antitrust decision against Apple, including references to worldwide mobile application spending data compiled by research firm Statista, despite significant differences between European and Indian market conditions.
Google made similar accusations during its own Indian antitrust proceedings involving Android in 2023, although regulators rejected those claims and ultimately required the company to modify several Android business practices after losing the case.
Apple also contends investigators failed to provide company representatives an opportunity to present oral evidence or formally explain their business model during the investigation.
According to the filing, Google was granted several opportunities to defend its practices during the Android inquiry, while Apple says it was not afforded similar treatment.
Indian antitrust lawyer Gautam Shahi of Dua Associates said regulators are not legally obligated to conduct oral hearings if they believe documentary evidence is sufficient, but acknowledged that CCI members will ultimately determine whether Apple should have been given that opportunity.
The dispute comes at a critical time for Apple’s operations in India as the company continues expanding manufacturing outside China. According to Counterpoint Research, India is expected to produce 26% of the world’s iPhones in 2026, compared with just 6% four years earlier.
Apple has also asked regulators to consider mitigating factors if penalties are eventually imposed, citing what it described as its “unblemished record” in India and noting that it has exported approximately $51 billion worth of iPhones from the country during the past five years.
The Competition Commission has not indicated whether it will impose financial penalties if Apple is ultimately found to have violated competition laws. Under Indian regulations, fines can reach as much as 10% of a company’s turnover over the previous three financial years, potentially amounting to millions of dollars.
