Apple’s ongoing battle with European regulators has reached a new stage, signalling the tech giant may need to make significant changes to stay compliant with the region’s strict digital antitrust rules. On Thursday, the European Commission announced opening two proceedings to enforce Apple's adherence to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires companies to ensure their platforms are interoperable with rival technologies.
Apple's challenge stems from its longstanding closed ecosystem, which tightly controls how its products, like the iPhone and iPad, operate. The DMA explicitly targets this kind of dominance. Apple is one of six companies labelled "gatekeepers" under the law, which aims to promote competition in core online services.
While competitors like Amazon have taken a more collaborative approach, Apple has made only limited changes to appease regulators, such as allowing more flexibility for developers on its App Store and switching to the EU-mandated USB-C standard for charging cables. These moves have been seen as minimal steps, not addressing the deeper issues the DMA aims to tackle. Apple argues that further compliance could compromise user privacy and data security, presenting the company with a tough choice: make significant changes or risk penalties, including heavy fines.
The commission has given Apple six months to outline its compliance strategy. However, Apple’s reluctance to introduce some of its newer features in the EU, citing DMA complications, raises questions about its future in the European market. The standoff with EU regulators could push Apple to a critical decision about whether it can continue to operate within these boundaries.