According to Silicon Republic, the European Commission is considering whether to designate Apple Maps and Apple Ads as “gatekeepers” under the Digital Markets Act. Apple has formally told the EU these services don’t qualify, arguing Maps has very limited EU usage compared to Google Maps and Waze, while Apple Ads is smaller than competing services from Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok, and X. The Commission received information indicating the services meet DMA thresholds, which typically require 45 million monthly active users and 10,000 yearly business users. They’ll take 45 days to decide whether to proceed with designation. If approved, Apple would have six months to comply with strict interoperability, transparency, and anti-self-preferencing rules.
This DMA Fight Is Getting Expensive
Here’s the thing – Apple‘s already been hit with a €500 million DMA fine, the first company alongside Meta to receive this penalty. That concerned their rules around web browsers, App Store, and default settings. Now the EU is looking at two more services that Apple considers minor players. But the Commission seems to be taking a broader view of what constitutes a gatekeeper. They’re even investigating whether to designate Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure despite them not meeting the typical size thresholds. So this isn’t just about Apple – it’s about the EU expanding its regulatory reach.
What Gatekeeper Status Actually Means
Basically, being a gatekeeper means your service acts as a crucial “gateway” between businesses and consumers with a strong, lasting market position. Google Maps and Google Ads already have this designation. Apple’s App Store, Safari, and iOS are gatekeepers too. The compliance burden is massive – we’re talking about opening up interoperability, being completely transparent about algorithms and data usage, and avoiding any self-preferencing. For Apple Maps, that could mean integrating more seamlessly with competing services. For Apple Ads, it might mean revealing exactly how they determine ad placement and pricing.
Why This Matters Beyond Apple
Look, this isn’t just another EU-Apple squabble. The Commission is clearly testing the boundaries of the DMA. They’re saying even services that aren’t market leaders might still be important enough to regulate. That should worry every big tech company. For users and developers, more gatekeeper designations could mean better interoperability between services and more transparency about how these platforms work. But there’s a real question here – at what point does regulation become overreach? When every service with decent usage gets designated, does the “gatekeeper” label lose its meaning? We’ll find out in the next 45 days.
