Italy's competition regulator opens an investigation into Apple under the DMA over whether iOS and iPadOS interoperate with third-party consumer cloud services
Italy's competition regulator said on Tuesday it had opened an investigation into Apple (AAPL.O) over compliance with interoperability obligations, under the European Digital Markets Act.
Context & Ripple Effects
Italy’s regulator has repeatedly examined Apple’s platform rules, including its application-tracking-transparency policy; its 2025 fine characterized those rules as disproportionate for app developers and advertisers. The new case shifts that scrutiny to how Apple’s operating systems work with rival consumer cloud services.
The investigation also follows the European Commission’s 2025 order requiring Apple to open iOS to third-party connected devices. Together, the coverage shows DMA enforcement moving from broad access requirements toward specific interoperability tests.
First-order effects
- Apple faces a formal Italian DMA compliance review focused on whether iOS and iPadOS interoperate adequately with third-party consumer cloud services; the probe itself does not establish a violation.
- Alternative cloud-service providers gain a regulator-led channel to challenge technical or contractual barriers to serving Apple-device users.
Second-order effects
- Apple may need to document or adjust cloud-related interfaces and platform practices if the regulator identifies interoperability shortcomings, affecting how third-party services integrate with its devices.
- Other gatekeepers and cloud providers will watch the case for how national authorities apply DMA interoperability obligations alongside the Commission’s existing device-access decisions.
Third-order effects
- If enforcement repeatedly turns on concrete integration frictions rather than only formal access policies, DMA compliance will increasingly be judged by the practical usability of rival services on dominant platforms.
- The case could reinforce a more decentralized enforcement pattern in which national competition authorities develop fact-specific DMA cases, while the Commission’s remedies set a broader baseline.
The trend: This is part of the EU’s shift from writing digital-platform access rules to testing whether those rules produce workable interoperability for competing services.