Apple criticizes Digital Markets Act impact on EU users

Apple launched a complete assertion on September 24, 2025, outlining how the European Union’s Digital Markets Act is negatively impacting the person expertise for purchasers throughout the 27 EU member international locations. The know-how large detailed particular considerations about function delays, safety vulnerabilities, and privateness threats which have emerged because the DMA turned legally binding in March 2024.

In keeping with Apple’s assertion, the DMA “is forcing us to make some regarding adjustments to how we design and ship Apple merchandise to our customers in Europe.” The regulation, launched by the European Union in 2022, imposes particular obligations on firms designated as “gatekeepers” in digital markets.

Function delays affecting EU clients

Probably the most speedy impression includes vital delays to new options that Apple has already launched in different markets. Stay Translation with AirPods, which makes use of Apple Intelligence for cross-language communication, faces technical challenges when adapting for non-Apple units. In keeping with Apple’s announcement, “bringing a complicated function like this to different units creates challenges that take time to unravel.”

iPhone Mirroring represents one other delayed functionality. This function permits customers to work together with their iPhone straight from their Mac, offering seamless notification entry and drag-and-drop picture transfers between units. In keeping with the assertion, “Our groups nonetheless haven’t discovered a safe approach to carry this function to non-Apple units with out placing all the info on a person’s iPhone in danger.”

Maps options together with Visited Locations and Most well-liked Routes have additionally been postponed for EU customers. These capabilities retailer location knowledge straight on the gadget, making certain person privateness. Nevertheless, Apple defined that “our groups have not discovered a approach to share these capabilities with different builders with out exposing our customers’ places.”

The European Fee has rejected Apple’s proposed modifications to those options, based on the corporate’s assertion. Beneath the DMA, “it is unlawful for us to share these options with Apple customers till we carry them to different firms’ merchandise.”

App market adjustments create safety considerations

The DMA’s necessities for different app marketplaces and sideloading have launched what Apple describes as elevated dangers for EU customers. In keeping with the assertion, these adjustments imply “EU customers now face a number of marketplaces, every with their very own design, guidelines, and overview requirements.”

Particular safety considerations embrace publicity to malware disguised as video games, faux banking functions designed to steal credentials, and third-party fee programs that will overcharge customers. In keeping with Apple, “The DMA’s necessities make it extra doubtless our EU customers will likely be uncovered to related dangers” that exist on different cell platforms.

The corporate highlighted the looks of beforehand prohibited content material in different marketplaces. In keeping with the announcement, “For the primary time, pornography apps can be found on iPhone from different marketplaces — apps we have by no means allowed on the App Retailer due to the dangers they create, particularly for kids.” The assertion particularly talked about Scorching Tub, a pornography software introduced by AltStore earlier in 2025.

Moreover, playing functions have develop into accessible in areas the place they’re prohibited by legislation, based on Apple’s documentation.

Privateness threats from knowledge entry requests

The DMA’s interoperability necessities have enabled firms to request entry to delicate person knowledge and core Apple applied sciences. In keeping with the assertion, “Apple is required to fulfill nearly each request, even when they create severe dangers for our customers.”

Apple detailed regarding knowledge entry requests it has obtained. One request seeks “the entire content material of a person’s notifications,” which would come with message content material, emails, medical alerts, and different personal data. In keeping with Apple, this could reveal knowledge that “at the moment, even Apple cannot entry.”

One other request includes “the complete historical past of Wi-Fi networks a person has joined.” In keeping with the assertion, Wi-Fi historical past can reveal delicate location data, permitting firms to trace visits to hospitals, accommodations, fertility clinics, or courthouses.

Apple famous that “our groups have defined these dangers to the European Fee, however to date, they have not accepted privateness and safety considerations as legitimate causes to show a request down.”

Regulatory compliance challenges

The corporate expressed frustration with the European Fee’s interpretation of DMA necessities. In keeping with Apple’s assertion, “the European Fee’s interpretation of the foundations is consistently altering. And that makes it almost unimaginable for firms to know find out how to comply.”

The regulatory framework requires firms to implement adjustments earlier than courts can overview disputed necessities, a course of that “can take months or years.” In keeping with Apple, this creates conditions the place “irreversible hurt to customers” might happen.

Apple additionally criticized the DMA’s selective software. In keeping with the assertion, “The DMA’s guidelines solely apply to Apple, regardless that Samsung is the smartphone market chief in Europe, and Chinese language firms are rising quick.”

Fee response and enforcement context

European Fee spokesperson Thomas Regnier responded to Apple’s assertion by way of LinkedIn, stating, “Now we have obtained and we aren’t shocked by Apple’s lobbying paper to repeal the DMA.” Regnier famous that “Apple has contested all the pieces within the DMA since its entry into software.”

The Fee has beforehand taken enforcement motion in opposition to Apple. On Tech giants hit with €700 million in fines for DMA violations in April 2025, Apple obtained a €500 million positive for violating anti-steering obligations underneath the DMA.

Regnier emphasised that the Fee has “positively engaged with Apple, even specifying how they may adjust to the interoperability obligation.” Nevertheless, he famous that Apple’s response after two months was to “ask us to scrap all the pieces.”

Influence on advertising and marketing and digital promoting

The regulatory adjustments have vital implications for the advertising and marketing group working within the European Union. Apple expands EU app store alternatives with new installation features introduced in June 2025 created new alternatives for person acquisition methods that bypass conventional app retailer fee constructions.

Advertising and marketing professionals now face a fragmented ecosystem the place Apple revises App Store rules for EU: external purchase links expanded permits builders to advertise exterior buying choices straight inside functions. These adjustments allow built-in advertising and marketing campaigns that direct customers between completely different buying environments.

The DMA’s implementation has created operational complexities for entrepreneurs who beforehand relied on unified platform experiences. Different app marketplaces every preserve distinct overview requirements, design necessities, and promotional insurance policies. Advertising and marketing groups should now develop separate methods for every market whereas making certain compliance with various regulatory necessities.

Digital promoting methods face explicit challenges following Meta challenges commission decision on digital Markets Act compliance in July 2025. Meta’s pressured adoption of much less personalised promoting choices has lowered focusing on effectiveness for European campaigns.

Developer compliance necessities

The DMA has imposed further verification necessities on app builders working within the European Union. App developers face February deadline for EU digital compliance verification required builders to declare dealer standing by February 17, 2025, or face elimination from EU marketplaces.

These compliance measures stem from the broader EU Digital Services Act brings new requirements for app store developers which mandates transparency in enterprise entity verification for digital market operators.

Ongoing regulatory developments

Apple’s September 24 assertion displays broader tensions between know-how firms and European regulators over digital market governance. The corporate has made a number of changes to its European operations, together with Apple announces significant changes to Browser Choice Screen for EU Users introduced in August 2024.

Digital competition expert outlines four key priority areas for 2025-2026 signifies that the European Fee’s first formal overview of the DMA launched in July 2025, with public session open till September 24, 2025.

In keeping with Apple’s assertion, “groups throughout Apple are spending 1000’s of hours to carry new options to the European Union whereas assembly the legislation’s necessities.” Nevertheless, the corporate emphasised that “it is develop into clear that we won’t resolve each drawback the DMA creates.”

The assertion concluded with Apple urging “regulators to take a more in-depth have a look at how the legislation is affecting the EU residents who use Apple merchandise each day.” The corporate maintained its place that “our customers in Europe deserve the most effective expertise on our know-how, on the similar customary we offer in the remainder of the world.”

Timeline

Abstract

Who: Apple Inc., the know-how large behind iPhone, iPad, and different client units, together with European Fee regulators and EU customers in 27 member international locations.

What: Apple launched an in depth assertion criticizing the European Union’s Digital Markets Act implementation, outlining how the regulation creates function delays, safety dangers, and privateness threats for European customers whereas forcing adjustments to the corporate’s built-in ecosystem method.

When: September 24, 2025, marking a couple of 12 months because the DMA turned legally binding for designated gatekeeper firms in March 2024.

The place: European Union’s 27 member international locations, the place the Digital Markets Act applies particularly to firms designated as gatekeepers in digital markets.

Why: Apple argues the DMA undermines person expertise and safety whereas failing to realize its said objectives of selling competitors and client alternative, as a substitute creating complexity and decreasing innovation within the European market.