European Union: Issued European Commission ruling designating Apple's iPadOS as a core platform service under the Digital Markets Act

On 29 April 2024, the European Commission designated Apple's operating system for tablets, iPadOS, as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), following an investigation initiated on 5 September 2023. The investigation was opened to assess if iPadOS represents a core platform service for business users to access end-users despite not meeting the DMA's quantitative thresholds initially. The Commission's findings determined that Apple's iPadOS plays a gatekeeper role, with business user numbers exceeding the quantitative threshold and end-user numbers nearing the threshold with expectations of further increase. The investigation noted the lock-in effect for both end users and business users within the iPadOS ecosystem, emphasising its significance for specific applications such as gaming apps. As a result, Apple is now required to ensure that iPadOS complies with the DMA obligations within six months.