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EU General Court upholds Apple's DMA gatekeeper designation for the App Store and iOS

On July 8, the EU General Court dismissed all of Apple's appeals against its designation as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
July 8, 2026
Curated Medium

What it says

  • The General Court dismisses all the actions brought by Apple (joined cases T-1079/23 and T-1080/23, and case T-214/24) and upholds its designation as a gatekeeper for the App Store and the iOS operating system.
  • It agrees with the Commission that Apple's five stores (iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac and Apple TV) form a single core platform service: all of them connect developers with users, and the differences between devices do not justify separating them.
  • It rules inadmissible the plea of illegality against the DMA's interoperability obligation: that rule is not the legal basis of the designation, so it cannot be invoked to annul it. The Court does not address the merits.
  • It also rules inadmissible the actions concerning iMessage: since it does not appear in a designation decision, no DMA obligation applies to it.
  • An appeal may be lodged before the Court of Justice, on points of law only, within two months and ten days of notification.

How it has evolved

Thread: The Digital Markets Act (DMA), in action. European Commission decisions and European rulings that specify the obligations of gatekeepers (Apple, Google, Meta…) under the DMA.

The Tech Guardian summarizes and comments in its own words on third-party publications. The full information belongs to the original source, which we recommend you read.

Our take

If you develop or distribute apps in Europe, the ruling consolidates the ground: the DMA obligations on Apple's store and on iOS stand, and the Court did not even discuss interoperability. What affects you is no longer decided in the courts but in how Apple applies the changes. Review which distribution and out-of-store payment options you have available today.

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