Apple will face a final hearing on May 21 in India after refusing to provide financial data to the country's antitrust watchdog in a case over its App Store practices. The Competition Commission of India said the company still had not filed information on its finances or its views on an investigation that began in October 2024.
The case centers on the CCI's accusation that Apple used its dominant position to squeeze developers through the App Store, including by forcing them to use its proprietary in-app purchase system. Apple has pushed back, saying Android is the more dominant smartphone platform in India and that the iPhone has a smaller share of the market there.
That dispute matters because the numbers no longer leave Apple easy room to argue from weakness. Counterpoint Research said Apple's share of the Indian smartphone market reached nine percent in 2025, while the CCI has also said it still lacks the financial information it needs to calculate any possible penalty. Apple has argued that the fines could reach as much as $38 billion, a figure that underscores how much is riding on what the regulator does next.
The latest order gave Apple two more weeks to submit any objections or suggestions before the final hearing next month, reported. The commission said the company had already been given enough chances to respond, leaving the case headed toward a courtroom-style test over both Apple's market power and the size of any punishment.
For Apple, the hearing on May 21 is now the point where argument turns into exposure. If the commission presses ahead without the financial data it wants, the dispute over Appl stock will be shaped less by principle than by the risk of a penalty that could be enormous by any standard.