Apple Loses EU Fight Over App Store Gatekeeper Label
3 64Europe's General Court dismissed Apple's challenge to the EU's designation of its App Stores and iOS as "gatekeepers" under the Digital Markets Act. The ruling means Apple remains subject to DMA obligations requiring it to allow alternative app stores, support interoperability with rival services, and avoid favoring its own services over competitors. MacRumors reports: Apple took its case to Luxembourg's General Court in 2024 after the European Commission designated its five App Stores -- on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch -- as a single core platform service under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a label that brings with it a set of strict obligations. Designated "gatekeepers" are prohibited from favoring their own services over those of rivals, and are prevented from combining personal data across different services. They also have to give users the option to use alternative app stores.
Apple also challenged the EU's designation of iOS as a gateway platform, a status that requires the operating system allows rival services to interoperate with it. The company also disputed the classification of iMessage as a number-independent interpersonal communications service, or NIICS, which would subject the app to EU telecoms rules. But the General Court said Apple's actions regarding the iMessage service are inadmissible.
3 comments
Re:Imagine... (Score: 5, Insightful)
by whitroth ( 9367 ) on <whitroth@5-c[ ].us ['ent' in gap]> on Wednesday July 08, 2026 @01:52PM (#66228500)
You're so brainwashed you think a monopoly is a great thing, and no one should be allowed to compete with it.
Go move to Russia.
Fuck you forever and ever.
Correct analogy (Score: 5, Insightful)
by Schoenlepel ( 1751646 ) on Wednesday July 08, 2026 @01:28PM (#66228472)
Imagine:
You own a shop which is the ONLY place where people can buy parts for their car. When a competitor wants to sell parts as well, they need to go through YOUR shop. Because it's your shop, you ask companies who want to offer products via your shop to pay 30% of their revenue to you. They are also required to use all your other services. When you notice someone has a good product, you start offering the EXACT same thing, but cheaper.
In what universe is this called fair? It's a good thing the EU actually does something about such behavior.
Re:Jed, Move Away From There (Score: 5, Informative)
by Schoenlepel ( 1751646 ) on Wednesday July 08, 2026 @10:53PM (#66229326)
In what universe?
The EU is a bigger market than the USA, you know.