The European Union has announced that it will be extending its market fairness and contestability rules to include Apple’s iPadOS under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), bringing the total number of Apple-owned platforms regulated to four. This move increases regulatory risk for the tech giant and requires Apple to ensure compliance with the DMA within six months.
Apple will need to make significant changes to its operations of the tablet platform in the EU to comply with DMA mandates, including banning self-preference of services, allowing third party app stores, supporting third-party payment options, and opening up access to non-WebKit versions of Safari on iPadOS.
The Commission’s investigation found that iPadOS plays a crucial role for both end users and business users, with business users exceeding the threshold elevenfold. The Commission determined that despite not meeting quantitative thresholds, iPadOS should be designated as a gatekeeper due to its importance in reaching end users.
Apple has committed to engaging with the European Commission to comply with the DMA, emphasizing their focus on delivering high-quality products and services to European customers while addressing privacy and data security risks posed by the DMA.
The Commission’s market investigation of iPadOS is the first conducted since the DMA’s implementation, taking around eight months to complete. In a separate decision, the EU chose not to designate Apple’s iMessage under the DMA, avoiding interoperability requirements for its messaging system.
