The European Commission says Apple’s Maps and Ads services won’t be designated as gatekeepers under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), citing their relatively low usage and limited market impact in Europe, reports Reuters.
The DMA is a 2022 regulation, active since May 2023, designed to ensure fair, open digital markets by restricting tech giants from abusing their dominant market power. It compels major firms—currently Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft, and Booking—to permit interoperability, allow third-party app stores, and stop self-preferencing. Apple says the DMA forces obligations that are incompatible with protections of security, privacy, and property rights under EU law.
The term “gatekeeper” applies to large digital platforms with over €75 billion market capitalization, €7.5 billion annual turnover, and over 45 million monthly EU users.
“The Commission has concluded that Apple does not qualify as a gatekeeper in relation to Apple Ads and Apple Maps, as neither of these platform services constitute an important gateway for business users to reach end users,” it said in a statement.
Apple said it welcomed the decision.
“These services face significant competition in Europe, and we’re pleased the Commission recognized they do not meet the criteria for designation under the Digital Markets Act,” the tech giant said in a statement to Reuters.
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