The European Commission designates iPadOS under the DMA, giving Apple six months to comply, after designating iOS, the App Store, and Safari in September 2023
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.
BloombergSamuel Stolton
Context & Ripple Effects
The Commission had already brought iOS, Safari and the App Store into the DMA framework, while Apple had contested parts of the underlying gatekeeper treatment, including iOS interoperability and its app-store structure. The iPadOS decision extends that regulatory arc to another Apple operating-system surface rather than treating the company’s mobile ecosystem as a single settled case.
The designation matters because Apple had argued its browser offerings were distinct across operating systems. Subsequent coverage indicates the iPad response would include alternative app stores and browser engines on iPads in the EU, making the designation consequential for how the tablet platform is configured.
First-order effects
Apple has a six-month deadline to bring iPadOS into line with the DMA’s preemptive requirements, adding a tablet-specific compliance program alongside its iOS, Safari and App Store obligations.
Apple’s implementation choices will need to reconcile iPadOS with the company’s prior position that its browser products are separate across platforms, a distinction it raised during the earlier gatekeeper process when arguing for separate Safari versions.
The designation increases pressure to make access and interoperability terms workable across Apple’s mobile-device surfaces, rather than limiting changes to iPhone software and its associated store.
Third-order effects
If similar designations continue to be applied product by product, platform regulation may increasingly assess each operating-system surface on its own technical and distribution controls, even within one vendor ecosystem.
The case is an early example of interface-neutral platform governance: regulatory obligations can follow the user-facing operating system and its distribution bottlenecks, not just a company’s flagship device.
The trend: The DMA is pushing gatekeeper compliance from broad platform labels toward operating-system-specific rules over app distribution, browser choice and interoperability.
The EU is kindly helping Apple with the fragmentation problem they created for themselves (and more importantly their users) - I think this will mean in the EU you can download an app from the same store to both your iPhone and iPad... https://www.macstories.net/...
@mgsiegler Not what happened! EU was very, very clear about designations despite Apple protestations (October 2023 final pre-DMA ruling below, doc: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/...), then in January 2024 Apple filed a dispute ( https://www.reuters.com/...), which the EU has rejected…
Looking forward to evaluating Apple's approach to app sideloading on the iPad. Now marketplace app developers need an API so they can tell if multiple devices belong to the same user and avoid charging users multiple times.
This good news. Today, the European Commission designated Apple with respect to iPadOS as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act ("DMA"). Apple now has six months to ensure full compliance of iPadOS with the DMA obligations. https://ec.europa.eu/...
One thing I wish the DMA had addressed is the genuine lack of search choice for iOS Safari ... the default is Google cos $$$$$$$$$$$ but that doesn't help privacy or competition
“End users are locked-in to iPadOS. Apple leverages its large ecosystem to disincentivise end users from switching to other operating systems for tablets” 🙋🏼♀️
BREAKING: The EU Commission designates iPadOS as a gatekeeper under the Digital Market App. Apple will have to allow alternative marketplaces on the iPad too. https://ec.europa.eu/...
🇪🇺In a win for browser competition, Apple has been designated with respect to iPadOS under the Digital Markets Act. ⏰Apple now has six months to ensure full compliance of iPadOS with the DMA obligations. https://ec.europa.eu/...
But really, what a dick move after specifically making Apple set up iOS to do things differently than iPadOS here only to reverse course a few months later.
.@apple back in the #DMA spotlight. This time, EC has designated its iPadOS as a core service. Already designated iPhone OS in Sept. First time EC has done this based on just on user numbers but also a qualitative assessment. https://ec.europa.eu/...
📢New #DMA designation: @EU_Commission today decided to designate Apple's iPadOS as a gatekeeper under the #DMA. This is the 1st qualitative designation that finds Apple being an important gateway between businesses and consumers. Apple has 6 months to comply with the EU rules.
The @EU_Commission has today designated Apple's iPadOS as a gatekeeper under the #DigitalMarketsAct. Apple now has six months to ensure full compliance of its operating system for tablets with the #DMA obligations. Towards fairness & contestability of digital markets. More ↓
Today, we designated Apple's iPadOS as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act. Our thorough investigation shows that its tablet operating system is an important gateway for businesses to reach consumers. We will keep monitoring compliance with the #DMA very closely ↓
Now we wait 6 months for Apple to change a few lines in Config.plist just because they can 🫠 They can roll out these DMA features to iPadOS in 17.5, due to release in a few weeks, or a later 17.6 release. Instead, it'll likely be tied to iPadOS 18.1. https://adamdemasi.com/...