The EU General Court in Luxembourg has ruled against Apple in its challenge to how the App Store is treated under the Digital Markets Act. Apple had asked the court to remove the store from the law's scope.
Apple's central argument was that it does not operate one App Store but five separate ones, covering iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Watch. The court disagreed, finding that each version connects developers with users and distributes software, so the App Store remains a single regulated service.
A separate part of Apple's case concerned iMessage. The court called that objection inadmissible, because iMessage has not been designated as an important gateway and is therefore not currently regulated as a DMA gatekeeper service.
Apple said it strongly disagrees with the decision. It argued that the DMA goes beyond reasonable limits and can weaken privacy and security protections, and said it will keep defending its approach for European customers. The ruling is not necessarily the end of the road, as Apple can still appeal to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
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