Apple seeks Samsung's help to prove it doesn't run a monopoly on iPhone

Apple has reached out to an unlikely ally in its legal battle against the US government — longtime rival, Samsung.

Well, it's not really reached out for help. Instead, it's trying to compel Samsung to give up evidence that Apple doesn't make it difficult to switch from iPhone to Android.

Apple denies it runs a monopoly

This is only the latest move in a long-running chess game between Apple and the US. First filed in March 2024, Apple was accused by the US Department of Justice and a number of states of using its control over iPhone features, App Store rules, and restrictions on third-party apps to create a monopoly. Apple's response was, unsurprisingly, that it didn't. And it's turned to Samsung to prove such.

Apple claims that documents held by Samsung will be able to prove how competitive the smartphone and smartwatch market truly is, as well as how often users are able to switch between the two brands. Using this information, Apple hopes to be able to prove that its policies have not had a deleterious effect on the market as a whole.

It had previously asked Samsung US to provide the information above, but Samsung US refused, claiming the information required is only available from Samsung Korea. So it's to Samsung Korea that Apple has turned.

To do so, Apple has filed under the Hague Evidence Convention, which allows US courts to request evidence from foreign entities. It's important to note that even if the US courts allow for this, it would still have to get through Korean courts before Samsung is compelled to give up the information requested.

Similar attempts for information have previously been denied for being too large in scope. For instance, a request from xAI to South Korea was denied for asking for not being specific enough about what it wanted from developer Kakao.

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Despite this case having been active for two years now, this is still likely only the beginning. After Apple's motion to dismiss was denied, both sides went into the discovery phase, where they share documents and gather information to make their cases. As such, this is likely to drag on for quite some time before we have a final ending to this particular saga.

If you're of a particularly legal mindset, or are just curious, you can read Apple's full request here.