Australia’s competition watchdog turned its attention to how app stores operate in the country, seeking views from consumers and developers with a focus on transparency around data usage and pricing.

In a statement, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) deputy chair Delia Rickard said the agency wants to know more about the market for mobile apps, including how clear and effective it is for consumers, along with which companies operate in it.

“We will also focus on the extent of competition between the major online app stores, and how they compete for app sales” Rickard explained.

With Google and Apple dominating the market, she said those companies could either significantly boost or hinder app developers’ sales, explaining the ACCC is ” keen to provide greater transparency on how this process works” along with “how data is used and shared”.

The ACCC issued separate surveys for consumers and app developers, with responses due by 2 October: it plans to release a report into its findings in March 2021.

Its review comes as the watchdog is battling with companies including Google and Facebook over the bargaining power available to domestic media companies when negotiating prices for access to news content, with the ACCC concerned there is an imbalance.