Apple has been under close scrutiny from competition authorities in the European Union for years. With the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the EU aims to more strictly regulate large digital platforms that are considered so-called gatekeepers. Now, a decision has been reached that is important for Apple: Apple Maps and Apple Ads are not subject to these rules. The ruling reveals how the EU assesses the market significance of individual Apple services – and where Apple actually stands in comparison to its competitors.
When the European Union first published its list of gatekeepers, six major tech companies were included. Among them were Apple and ByteDance, the owner of TikTok. Gatekeepers are platforms that, due to their size and reach, are considered central points of contact between business users and end users.
In November 2025, the European Commission began examining Apple Maps and Apple Ads. The aim was to determine whether these services met the criteria of the Digital Markets Act and should therefore also be classified as gatekeepers. The results of this examination are now available.
No regulation under the Digital Markets Act
The European Commission has decided not to include Apple Maps and Apple Ads on its list of regulated online services. The EU does not see these services as having a sufficient impact on the digital market.
In an official statement, the Commission said that Apple is not considered a gatekeeper with regard to Apple Maps and Apple Ads. The reason: Neither service represents a significant point of access for business users to end users. Therefore, they do not fall within the scope of the DMA.
Apple's response: Relief with limitations
Apple publicly welcomed the decision. The company thanked the EU for recognizing that Apple Maps and Apple Ads were too small to fall under the gatekeeper rules. In a statement, Apple explained that both services face strong competition in Europe and therefore do not meet the criteria of the Digital Markets Act.
At the same time, this success is not entirely positive for Apple. The decision makes it clear that Apple Maps is significantly less widespread than Google Maps. Google Maps has been considered a central platform service of a gatekeeper since 2023 and is therefore subject to DMA regulations. The comparison clearly shows that Apple Maps has not achieved the same significance in the European market.
Delayed review and open questions
It remains unclear why the EU only reviewed Apple Maps two years after the decision regarding Google Maps. Equally unanswered is the question of why the review process took so long, from November 2025 until the final decision, given the relatively clear legal definition of a gatekeeper.
Under EU law, a service qualifies as a gatekeeper if it has more than 45 million active users per month. Additionally, the company behind it must have a market capitalization of at least €75 billion. Apple clearly meets this second requirement with a market capitalization of approximately $4 trillion.
However, Apple does not publish specific usage figures for Apple Maps. Therefore, it is impossible to determine how close the service is to reaching the threshold of 45 million monthly active users. The gap to Google Maps is also difficult to pinpoint precisely, as the EU decision only provides adjusted figures, stating, for example, simply "more than 45 million users".
Advantage for Apple despite limited reach
Even though Apple Maps is officially classified as too small, the decision brings clear advantages. Apple thus avoids potential further fines under the Digital Markets Act.
In the past, the EU has already fined Apple approximately $2 billion for allegedly anti-competitive practices related to Apple Music. The question of whether Apple can be forced to open the iPhone to competing app stores also falls under the DMA regulations. These regulations continue to affect Apple – but not with regard to Apple Maps and Apple Ads.
Apple evades regulation – with limitations
The European Union's decision not to classify Apple Maps and Apple Ads as gatekeepers provides Apple with significant relief. At the same time, it demonstrates that not every service offered by the company is automatically considered dominant. Apple benefits from avoiding further regulatory risks but must also accept that services like Apple Maps lag considerably behind the competition in Europe. This very combination of relief and disclosed market position makes the decision so significant. (Image: Shutterstock / rarrarorro)
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