iPad Brought Under EU's Digital Markets Act, Apple Must Comply With New Rules in 6 Months

The move means Apple has six months to make sure its tablet ecosystem complies with a raft of preemptive measures under the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

By Samuel Stolton, Bloomberg | Updated: 29 April 2024 17:21 IST

iPad Brought Under EU's Digital Markets Act, Apple Must Comply With New Rules in 6 Months

Photo Credit: Apple

Under the EU's new rules, it's illegal for firms to favor their own services over those of rivals

Highlights

Apple's iOS mobile operating system has already been under DMA's scanner
The EU's Digital Markets Act came into full effect on March 7
Apple will have to allow iPad users to get apps outside of App Store

Apple's iPad has been added to a list of Big Tech products and services hit by strict new European Union rules aimed at stopping potential competition abuses before they take hold.

The move means Apple has six months to make sure its tablet ecosystem complies with a raft of preemptive measures under the EU's flagship Digital Markets Act.

The company's iOS mobile operating system, its App Store and Safari browser are already targeted by the law — but Apple has challenged its designation for certain services to the EU's General Court in Luxembourg, with hearings set to take place later this year.

Samsung Wins Patent for a Tri-Fold Smartphone With Specialised Barrier Layer for Improved Durability

The EU's decision to draw iPad under the scope of the DMA will ensure that fairness and competition are preserved, EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. She said that despite not meeting all the thresholds for being earmarked, an investigation showed that “iPadOS constitutes an important gateway on which many companies rely to reach their customers.”

The decision is a loss for Cupertino, California-based Apple, which will have to adapt its operating system to meet a swathe of new obligations and prohibitions, including allowing iPad users to download apps from beyond Apple's confines as well as being able to uninstall apps preloaded onto devices.

An Apple spokesperson said that the company remains focused on delivering for European consumers, “while mitigating the new privacy and data security risks the DMA poses.”

Apple's Offer to Open Up NFC Payments Could Be Approved by the EU in May

The EU's DMA strikes at the heart of the business models of six of the world's most powerful technology firms deemed to be digital “gatekeepers.” Aside from Apple, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Alphabet's Google, Amazon.com and TikTok owner ByteDance have all been targeted for new obligations aimed at preventing them from abusing their dominance.

Under the law — which came into full effect on March 7 — it is illegal for designated firms to favor their own services over those of rivals. They are also barred from combining personal data across their different services, prohibited from using data they collect from third-party merchants to compete against them, and have to allow users to download apps from rivals platforms.

Apple's New Guidelines Now Allow Game Emulators on App Store

Is the new expensive 10th generation iPad worth buying instead of its predecessor? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.