EU Says Apple Ads and Maps May Be Gatekeepers, But Apple Strongly Disagrees

Post by : Saif Nasser

The European Commission has said that Apple’s advertising service, Apple Ads, and its navigation tool, Apple Maps, appear to meet the requirements to be labelled as “gatekeepers” under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Apple, however, has strongly disagreed with this assessment and has submitted official rebuttals.

The DMA is a major EU law designed to regulate big technology companies that control important digital platforms. These companies are called gatekeepers because businesses and consumers depend on their services, giving them the power to influence competition in the market. According to the DMA, any company with more than 45 million monthly active users and a market value of at least 75 billion euros can be considered a gatekeeper if it offers a core digital service.

The European Commission said that Apple’s own notifications showed that Apple Ads and Apple Maps both met the technical thresholds. The Commission now has 45 working days to review all evidence and make a final decision. If Apple is officially designated a gatekeeper for either service, the company will have six months to follow the rules set out by the DMA. These rules include allowing fair competition, ensuring transparency, and making it easier for users to switch between different services.

Apple strongly rejected the EU’s early findings. The company argued that Apple Ads is a very small player in the European online advertising market. It said its share is far lower than that of Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok, or X. Apple also stated that Apple Maps is not widely used in the EU. Compared to competing mapping services like Google Maps and Waze, Apple said its platform has very limited usage, which it believes should prevent it from being classified as a gatekeeper.

Apple’s App Store, iOS operating system, and Safari browser were already labelled as core platform services under the DMA two years ago. This means the EU already considers these Apple products powerful enough to affect competition. Adding Apple Ads and Apple Maps to the list would further increase regulations on the company within Europe.

This disagreement highlights the ongoing tension between the EU and major technology companies. European regulators argue that strict rules are necessary to protect consumers and create fair competition. Apple, on the other hand, says it wants to cooperate but believes the EU is overestimating the reach and influence of some of its services.

The coming weeks will determine whether Apple Ads and Apple Maps officially receive the gatekeeper label. Whatever the outcome, it will play an important role in shaping how major tech companies operate within the European digital market in the future.