The European Commission has decided not to designate Apple’s Apple Ads and Apple Maps services under the EU’s Digital Markets Act.
Apple notified the Commission about the two services on 27 November 2025, after which the company submitted arguments that they should not be treated as “important gateways” between businesses and consumers, according to a statement published on the Commission’s Digital Markets Act website.
The Commission concluded that Apple does not qualify as a “gatekeeper” for Apple Ads or Apple Maps because neither service is an important route for business users to reach end users.
Under the Digital Markets Act — a law that sets rules for large digital platforms — “gatekeepers” can face extra obligations.
Apple Maps has a relatively low overall usage rate in the EU, and Apple Ads has “very limited scale” in the EU online advertising sector, the Commission said.
Monitoring will continue, while other Apple services remain designated
The Commission stated it will continue to monitor market developments relating to Apple Ads and Apple Maps in case substantial changes occur.
The decision does not affect Apple’s existing designation as a gatekeeper for other “core platform services” under earlier Commission decisions in September 2023 and April 2024.
A non-confidential version of the decision will be published on the Commission’s Digital Markets Act website.
