Apple loses EU court fight over App Store 'gatekeeper' status
The European Union's top court rejected Apple's challenge against its designation as a digital gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act, forcing the company to continue allowing rivals to interoperate with its five app stores.
Apple has lost its legal battle against EU rules that designated it as a 'gatekeeper,' according to a press release from the European Court of Justice. The ruling means Apple must continue to let rivals interoperate with its five app stores—iOS, macOS, watchOS, iPadOS, and tvOS—as required by the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA). The court also dismissed Apple's objections over an investigation into its iMessage service as 'inadmissible.'
Apple was fighting the DMA on three fronts. First, it challenged the requirement that rival hardware (such as earbuds and smartwatches) work with the iPhone, calling it a security risk. Second, it objected to being designated a gatekeeper for its five app stores. Third, Apple contested the EU Commission's probe into whether iMessage should be a covered service, despite a previous decision that largely exempted it.
The court upheld the EU's decision that all five stores constitute a single core platform service under the DMA. It also maintained that Apple must allow rivals open access to its stores and not favor its own services over those of competitors.
Apple disagreed with the ruling but has not yet said if it will appeal. An Apple spokesperson told multiple outlets: 'We firmly believe the DMA's mandate goes beyond what is lawful and proportionate, threatening to erode decades of privacy and security protections we've built and leaving our users vulnerable to new risks. We will continue advocating for the innovation and privacy our European customers deserve.' Apple has previously blamed the DMA for delaying the launch of its Siri AI assistant in the EU indefinitely.
Apple still faces two other cases in EU courts. One challenges the EU Commission's decision last year forcing Apple to open iOS to third-party developers. The other is an appeal against a €500 million fine imposed in April for anti-steering violations.
