The EU's General Court on Wednesday, 8 July 2026 dismissed a series of appeals brought by Apple against the bloc's flagship Big Tech rulebook, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), upholding the European Commission's designation of the company as a gatekeeper for its App Store and its iOS mobile operating system.

The ruling confirms a designation the European Commission made in September 2023 and affirms that the iPhone maker must continue to comply with the DMA's obligations for its mobile platforms.

Apple filed the appeals in January 2024. Beyond contesting the gatekeeper designation itself, the company challenged the Commission's treatment of the App Store as a single core platform service (CPS). Apple argued that each App Store is device-specific, and contended that only its iOS App Store therefore met the DMA's quantitative thresholds for designation.

The General Court rejected that argument. The court held that, irrespective of the device in question, the App Store served the "same purpose": connecting app developers with Apple's end users to distribute apps.

Interoperability complaint ruled inadmissible

The court also declared Apple's complaint against the DMA's interoperability obligations inadmissible.

A related but separate matter remains pending. Apple has appealed a so-called specification decision that the Commission issued against the company in March 2025, which concerns interoperability obligations for iOS in relation to third-party connected devices, as well as the Commission's approach to future interoperability requests involving iPhone and iPad devices. The General Court did not rule on that issue on Wednesday, as it forms the subject of distinct proceedings.

Apple has repeatedly criticised the Commission over DMA interoperability requirements. Most recently, the company delayed the rollout of Siri AI in EU markets, citing objections to how the law is being applied.

iMessage classification challenge fails

In a further limb of Wednesday's judgment, the General Court dismissed Apple's appeal against the Commission's classification of iMessage as a "number-independent interpersonal service" — a category that could in principle be construed as a CPS, opening the possibility of regulation under the DMA.

The court found that the classification produced no legally binding effects on Apple, because iMessage has not been formally designated as a CPS. The Commission had conducted a market investigation in September 2023 but ultimately decided not to designate iMessage. The General Court agreed with that position.

Apple responds

Following the ruling, an Apple spokesperson said the DMA's mandate "goes beyond what is lawful and proportionate". The spokesperson added that the law is "threatening to erode decades of privacy and security provisions" that the company has built.

What this means for practitioners

For competition and technology counsel, the judgment consolidates the Commission's authority to define the perimeter of a core platform service at a functional level rather than by device. The court's reasoning — that a service sharing the "same purpose" across devices counts as a single CPS — narrows a structural avenue that designated gatekeepers might otherwise have used to fragment their service portfolios below the DMA's quantitative thresholds. Practitioners advising platform clients should treat the App Store's consolidated CPS status as settled at first instance, subject to any appeal to the Court of Justice on points of law. The ruling on iMessage also offers a procedural lesson: classifications that do not produce binding legal effects will not support an action for annulment, a point that will shape how and when clients challenge preliminary regulatory characterisations.