DAILY MAIL ACCUSES APPLE OF BLOCKING ACCESS TO APPLE NEWS – The publisher argued that Apple’s practices are “arbitrary and discriminatory”
The Daily Mail is calling for regulators to step in after accusing Apple of shutting the publisher out of its Apple News app — the most widely used news platform in the UK.
According to the Mail’s parent company, DMG Media, Apple has flatly refused to allow the paper’s articles onto Apple News, despite the app being used by more than one in four UK adults. Apple’s reasoning is that the publisher is supposedly too big. Officials at the company reportedly told the Mail that its sheer size, the number of articles it produces, and the strength of its reader engagement could “overwhelm Apple’s ecosystem.”
In a formal submission to the Competition and Markets Authority, the publisher argued that Apple’s practices are “arbitrary and discriminatory” — and that in today’s digital landscape, Apple News has become as essential as Google search for reaching audiences.
With Apple News now fully embedded in iPhones and headlines directly integrated into the operating system, the app has become a critical driver of readership. The Mail has since tried to join — but according to its filing, Apple has “stonewalled” the request. First, Apple claimed it wasn’t onboarding new publishers. Later, it flatly rejected the Mail, arguing it only wanted to add partners that would grow the overall pie, rather than compete with existing ones.
Critics say this raises serious concerns about Apple’s power in the information ecosystem. Because Apple News comes pre-installed, the company effectively controls which publishers get a coveted spot on the most widely distributed news app in Britain. The Mail argues that this dominance gives Apple an unfair advantage and leaves readers with fewer options, even as traditional publishers face mounting financial challenges.
