The General Court of the European Union dismissed Apple's legal challenges to its designation as a digital gatekeeper, dealing a blow to the U.S. tech giant on Wednesday and upholding the European Commission's authority to enforce stricter competition rules under the Digital Markets Act.
The Luxembourg-based court ruled that Apple's five App Store variants — for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch — constitute a single core platform service, and confirmed iOS as a critical gateway for reaching consumers. Apple's claims over iMessage were declared inadmissible, and the company lost all appeals it had filed against the regulatory designation.
The ruling forces Apple to comply with DMA obligations, including allowing users to install alternative app stores. Apple separately continues to appeal a 500 million euro fine imposed in April 2025 for alleged DMA violations.