EU court dismisses Apple's DMA gatekeeper challenge, forcing full App Store compliance

The EU General Court on July 8 rejected Apple's three-pronged legal challenge to its gatekeeper designation under the Digital Markets Act, delivering a sweeping defeat for the iPhone maker and cementing the regulatory framework's authority over the App Store and iOS.

What the court decided

Apple had argued that its App Stores on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch should each be evaluated as separate services — a split that would have reduced its regulatory footprint under the DMA. The court rejected that argument outright, finding that Apple's various App Stores "all do the same job of connecting developers with users," regardless of the device. The European Commission's 2023 designation of the App Store and iOS as core platform services subject to DMA obligations stands.

A third challenge — over the inclusion of iMessage in the DMA's scope — was ruled inadmissible on procedural grounds and received no substantive ruling.

What Apple must now do

With its gatekeeper status confirmed, Apple faces obligations it has spent two years contesting. These include allowing third-party app stores to operate on iOS, permitting developers to steer users toward alternative payment processors outside Apple's system, and improving interoperability between iPhone and third-party hardware like earbuds and smart home devices.

The company is already in active non-compliance proceedings with the European Commission over App Store rules — a separate enforcement track that this ruling makes harder to contest. Apple can continue operating as normal while any appeal proceeds, but the underlying obligations are now legally locked in place.

A new procedural rule for all gatekeepers

Beyond Apple, the ruling establishes a sequencing principle that applies to all six DMA-designated gatekeepers — Apple, Google, Meta, ByteDance, and others. Gatekeepers can no longer challenge DMA obligations in the abstract. They must wait for a specific enforcement order from the Commission before seeking judicial review of that particular obligation.

That procedural shift cuts off a key delay tactic. Previously, a gatekeeper could challenge the general validity of an obligation before any enforcement action, effectively freezing compliance requirements for years. Under the new sequencing rule, compliance comes first; judicial review follows only after a specific order is issued.

Appeal path and geopolitical backdrop

Apple can still appeal on matters of law to the Court of Justice of the European Union, Europe's highest court. However, the factual findings — including the court's conclusion that App Stores across all Apple devices form a single service — are now settled and cannot be re-litigated on appeal.

The ruling adds fresh pressure to the EU-US tech relationship. The Trump administration has repeatedly challenged European digital regulation targeting American companies, and a clean court victory for Brussels over Silicon Valley's largest firm will sharpen that dynamic. Meta won a partial victory over its DMA designation last month; Apple's total loss here is a stark contrast.

As first reported by The Next Web, the ruling was handed down on July 8, 2026.