EU court upholds Apple’s iOS and App Store gatekeeper status

Apple lost its legal challenge to the European Commission’s Digital Markets Act designation of iOS and the App Store, after the EU General Court rejected the company’s case on Wednesday.

The ruling keeps Apple under the bloc’s gatekeeper regime for those services, meaning the company must continue complying with the extra obligations that come with the EU’s main platform law.

What the court decided

The General Court upheld the Commission’s decision to designate iOS and the App Store as core platform services covered by the DMA. That designation is central to the law’s effort to curb the power of large digital platforms in the EU.

The court also found that Apple’s challenge tied to iMessage was inadmissible after the investigation into iMessage was dropped.

Why it matters

Apple has argued that the DMA creates privacy and security risks for users. The ruling leaves the company’s EU platform rules intact for now and preserves the Commission’s enforcement position against one of the world’s most important app ecosystems.

The case is also a signal for other large platforms facing DMA scrutiny, since the law is meant to constrain gatekeepers across app distribution, platform access and related business practices.

What happens next

Apple can still appeal to the Court of Justice of the European Union, the bloc’s top court. Any appeal would extend the legal fight over how far the DMA can reach into Apple’s control of iOS and the App Store.

The ruling adds to a broader run of DMA disputes involving Apple, while regulators continue to test how aggressively the law can be applied to dominant digital services.