Apple Loses Court Battle Over iOS and App Store Under EU's Tech Rules
By Edith Hancock
Apple lost an appeal at Europe's general court challenging a EU decision to classify its iOS operating system and App Store as services that need to be brought to heel under the bloc's landmark tech antitrust rulebook.
"The General Court dismisses all the actions brought by Apple," the court said on Wednesday.
The decision is a blow to Apple as the tech giant battles the Digital Markets Act, an EU law that came into force in November 2022. The DMA classifies a handful of the world's most powerful tech companies as "gatekeepers", arguing that they control the routes to market online such as search engines, app stores and web browsers. It then gives them a list of rules to follow in Europe designed to level the playing field in the digital economy.
Apple appealed the European Commission's decision to label its iOS operating system and App Store as core platforms that need to follow the DMA in 2024, and also challenged the EU executive's move to investigate whether its iMessage messaging service should also fall under the scope of the rules. Officials ultimately dropped the latter probe.
The general court also said that Apple's appeal regarding iMessage is inadmissible.
An Apple spokesperson said the DMA's mandate exposes users to privacy and security risks. "We will continue advocating for the innovation and privacy our European customers deserve," they said. The company can still appeal Wednesday's verdict at the Court of Justice of the EU.
Write to Edith Hancock at edith.hancock@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 08, 2026 05:16 ET (09:16 GMT)
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