The European Union’s General Court in Luxembourg dismissed Apple’s legal action against the European Commission’s decision to designate its App Store and iOS operating system as gatekeeper services under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The ruling, issued on 8 July, confirms that the Commission correctly applied the criteria of the landmark competition regulation, which imposes a series of obligations on large digital platforms to ensure fairer markets and greater choice for users. The court stated that it “dismisses Apple’s actions regarding its designation as a gatekeeper in relation to the App Store and iOS.” The decision reinforces the Commission’s authority to enforce the DMA, which came into force in November 2022 and began designating gatekeepers in May 2023.

Apple, which has been one of the most vocal critics of the DMA, argued that the regulation’s requirements go beyond what is lawful and proportionate. According to a company spokesperson, the obligations threaten to “erode decades of privacy and security protections” built into its ecosystem and expose users to new risks. The court also declared inadmissible a separate Apple challenge concerning its iMessage service, after the Commission had investigated but ultimately decided not to impose additional DMA rules on the messaging platform. The ruling noted that the challenge was not directed against a reviewable act, as the Commission’s investigation into iMessage did not result in a formal designation.

The DMA identifies gatekeepers as large digital platforms that serve as important gateways between business users and consumers, and it requires them to comply with a set of dos and don’ts — including allowing third-party app stores, enabling side-loading of applications, and refraining from self-preferencing their own services. The Commission’s designation of Apple’s App Store and iOS as gatekeeper services means the company must open its mobile ecosystem to rival app stores and payment systems. The ruling is expected to strengthen the hand of EU antitrust regulators as they pursue similar cases. Meta and ByteDance have also launched legal challenges against their own gatekeeper designations since the DMA took effect.

Apple retains the right to appeal on points of law to the European Court of Justice, the EU’s highest court. The broader legal contest over the DMA’s scope and proportionality is likely to continue, as the regulation represents one of the most assertive attempts by any jurisdiction to curb the market power of large technology firms. The Commission has signalled that it will rigorously enforce the DMA, and the General Court’s endorsement of its designation methodology provides a significant legal foundation for ongoing and future proceedings.