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Apple’s EU court loss keeps App Store regulatory overhang alive

Apple’s loss at the EU General Court keeps the App Store and iOS under Digital Markets Act gatekeeper obligations. The ruling preserves Brussels’ leverage over a key Apple profit engine while related enforcement fights continue.

Published about 2 hours ago
reuters

Apple loses challenges against EU rules to curb Big Tech

yahoo

EU court rejects Apple's challenge against EU rules reining in Big Tech

srnnews

EU court rejects Apple’s challenge against EU rules reining in Big Tech

macrumors

Apple Loses EU Fight Over App Store Gatekeeper Label

businesstoday

Apple Loses EU Court Challenge Over Big Tech Rules Targeting App Store And iOS

Apple’s EU court loss keeps App Store regulatory overhang alive
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Brussels keeps the leverage

Europe’s General Court dismissed Apple’s challenge on Wednesday to the company’s Digital Markets Act designation for the App Store and iOS, preserving Brussels’ authority over two pillars of the iPhone ecosystem.politico The ruling confirms the European Commission’s view that Apple remains a “gatekeeper” for those services, a label that carries obligations aimed at opening dominant platforms to rivals.macrumors +1 For investors, the decision keeps a regulatory overhang attached to Apple’s services business at a time when Europe has become one of the most aggressive jurisdictions policing Big Tech.politico

Apple had argued that the Commission wrongly treated five App Stores — for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV — as a single core platform service.macrumors The court rejected that approach, finding that the stores serve the same function of connecting developers with users regardless of device.ppc

The App Store fight stays live

The judgment does not create a new fine, but it narrows one route Apple had used to push back against DMA compliance. Under the law, gatekeepers face restrictions on self-preferencing, limits on combining personal data across services and requirements that can include access for alternative app stores or interoperability with rival services.macrumors +1 The General Court also dismissed Apple’s argument that it could attack certain interoperability obligations through this designation case, saying those duties can be challenged later if the Commission adopts specific implementation decisions.ppc +1

That procedural point matters because two Apple disputes remain pending in Europe. Politico reported that Apple is still challenging a March 2025 Commission decision requiring it to open iOS to third-party developers, and separately appealing a €500 million fine imposed in April 2025 over anti-steering rules.politico

iMessage escapes immediate duties

Apple also challenged how regulators described iMessage, but the court found those claims inadmissible.lawsociety The judges said the Commission’s classification of iMessage as a number-independent interpersonal communications service did not itself change Apple’s legal position, because the service was not ultimately designated as a DMA gatekeeper service.lawsociety +1

Apple said after the ruling that it believes the DMA goes “beyond what is lawful and proportionate” and threatens privacy and security protections for European users.politico The company can still appeal to the EU’s highest court on points of law, but Wednesday’s result leaves the App Store and iOS obligations intact while developers, competitors and shareholders wait for the next enforcement decisions.ppc +1