Apple’s Ads, Maps Services are Not Gatekeepers Under the DMA, the EU Rules
In Focus
- The EU has been probing Apple Ads and Maps services since November 2025
- The Commission found that the services have low usage in the region
- The ruling does not affect other Apple services that are designated as gatekeepers
Apple’s Ads and Maps services should not be designated as gatekeepers in Europe, the European Commission has ruled. Such a designation would mean that the services are key platforms for enterprise users under Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). According to Yahoo Finance, the EU’s DMA decision on Apple’s Ads and Maps brings to an end a review into the tech giant’s services to determine their adherence to the law.
The DMA is designed to curb market dominance by leading tech companies. Its aim is to make it easier for customers to shift between competing services, including social media platforms, app stores, and web browsers.
Apple’s Ads Service Has Limited Market Impact
While issuing the Apple DMA decision, the European Commission said the company’s ads and maps services have relatively low usage in the region and that their market impact remains limited.
“The Commission has concluded that Apple does not qualify as a gatekeeper in relation to Apple Ads and Apple Maps, as neither of these platform services constitute an important gateway for business users to reach end users,” the Commission said in a statement as reported by Yahoo Finance.
The EU started probing whether Apple should be designated as a gatekeeper for its Ads and Maps services in November, 2025. The tech giant argued that the services were relatively small players in the European market.
What the EU Decision Means for Other Apple Services
The Commission also said that its decision about Apple’s ads and maps services does not affect the company’s designation as a gatekeeper in other services. The EU designated Apple’s Safari web browser, App Store, and the iOS operating system as core platform services under the DMA two years ago.
The EU executive branch said it will continue to track Apple’s ads and maps services for changes. In recent years, major tech companies have come under regulatory probe in the EU over market dominance practices.
Last year, regulators started probing Google over app store and self-promotion practices. The search giant was also accused of preventing app developers from steering their customers outside the Play Store.
Apple’s Reaction to the EU Decision
The EU Commission ruling on Apple’s DMA compliance was received positively by the iPhone 17 maker. The tech company had submitted its ads and maps services to the Commission for review in November, 2025.
“We welcome the European Commission’s decisions regarding Apple Maps and Apple Ads. These services face significant competition in Europe, and we’re pleased the Commission recognized they do not meet the criteria for designation under the DMA. We remain committed to delivering incredible services and experiences across the EU with the best privacy and security protections,” Apple noted as reported by Yahoo Finance.
Apple had wanted to be exempted from the Digital Markets Act. Under this law, companies whose services have over 45 million active users and a market capitalization of $79 billion are designated as gatekeepers.
