Apple has received another legal blow in Europe after the European Union's General Court rejected the company’s appeal against the classification of its App Store and iOS operating system as "gatekeepers" under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

In a ruling issued on Wednesday, the Luxembourg-based court confirmed Apple's appeals regarding the classification of the App Store and iOS were rejected, meaning they will continue to be subject to the strict obligations imposed by the European DMA.

In 2024, the European Commission classified Apple’s five app stores for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch as a single core platform service under the DMA, which the company contested in court.
Under this classification, Apple is subject to several rules aimed at promoting competition, including not giving its services preferential treatment over those of competitors, not combining user personal data across different services, and allowing users to use alternative app stores.

Apple appeals iOS classification

The company also appealed the classification of iOS as a gatekeeper platform, which requires it to provide greater compatibility and interoperability with competitor services.

Meanwhile, Apple tried to challenge the classification of iMessage as a service that does not depend on phone numbers (NIICS), which would subject it to European telecom rules. However, the court ruled that this part of the case was inadmissible.

The Digital Markets Act sets out a number of criteria for classifying companies as “gatekeepers”, including generating an annual turnover within the EU of at least €7.5 billion or a market value of at least €75 billion, in addition to having more than 45 million monthly active users and more than 10,000 active business users annually within the EU.