The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is preparing measures that would allow users to bypass Apple’s in-app payment system - which currently charges developers up to 30 per cent - and force the company to open parts of its ecosystem to rivals.

Similar to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), this could include giving financial firms access to the iPhone’s payment chip and ensuring accessories like Apple Watch are not prioritised over competing devices.

In a filing, Apple said: “We’re concerned these EU-style rules the UK is advancing are bad for users and bad for developers.

“This approach undermines the privacy and security protections our users have come to expect, hampers our ability to innovate and forces us to give away our technology for free to foreign competitors.

“We will continue to engage with the regulator to make sure they fully understand these risks.”

The company argued that copying the EU’s DMA would repeat mistakes already made in Europe, where features such as iPhone-to-Mac screen sharing have been restricted.

Apple added: “Apple respectfully urges the CMA not to repeat the EC’s failure to balance regulatory intervention against the protection of innovation incentives and intellectual property rights.

“The European experiment of using regulation to gut the intellectual property rights of an American company is not one the CMA should mimic.”

Apple maintains that its App Store model has enabled a thriving app economy supporting more than 550,000 jobs in the UK.

However, critics including Spotify and Epic Games continue to accuse the company of unfair practices.

The CMA’s tougher stance comes amid pressure from UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who has urged regulators to prioritise economic growth and reduce bureaucracy.

The White House has also raised concerns, with the Trump administration stating it is “actively addressing our concerns in discussions with our trading partners”.