After a nearly eight-month investigation into whether Apple's iPadOS has enough market power to warrant tougher regulation, the European Commission has now designated the iPad operating system as a Gatekeeper Service under key Digital Markets Act (DMA) rules.
“The committee concludes that iPadOS constitutes an important gateway for business users to reach end users, and that Apple has an established and enduring position with respect to iPadOS,” it reads. Statement published by the committee on monday. “Apple now has six months to ensure full compliance with DMA obligations as applied to iPadOS.”
Under the DMA, which took effect on March 7, iPadOS will now have to adhere to a wide range of rules that allow users in Europe to download apps from outside Apple's App Store, uninstall apps pre-loaded on iPads, and choose default services such as browsers from selection screens. . If Apple fails to comply with… DMA rules for operating systemsThe company could face fines of up to 10% of its global revenue, or up to 20% in the case of repeat violations.
The committee says its investigation found that iPadOS users were locked into the platform, noting that the number of business users exceeded the quantitative gatekeeper threshold by “eleven times,” while end user numbers were “close to the threshold and expected to rise in the coming year.” The near future.” EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager also said the investigation showed that “despite not meeting thresholds, iPadOS constitutes an important gateway that many companies rely on to reach their customers.”
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