Apple has lost its legal challenge against European Union rules that classify the company as a "gatekeeper" under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), according to a ruling from the European Court of Justice. The decision means Apple must continue allowing rival services and hardware to interoperate with its five app stores and cannot favour its own products over those of competitors, marking a significant setback in the company's long-running battle against the bloc's tech regulations.

Apple had contested the DMA on three fronts: a requirement that rival hardware such as earbuds and smartwatches work with the iPhone, its "gatekeeper" designation across iOS, macOS, watchOS, iPadOS and tvOS, and an EU probe into whether iMessage should be a covered service. The court dismissed the iMessage challenge as "inadmissible", leaving the status quo in place so Apple need not make it work with other messaging apps, but it upheld the ruling that all five stores form a single core platform service. Apple, which said the mandate "goes beyond what is lawful and proportionate", has not confirmed whether it will appeal and still has two pending EU cases, including an appeal against a €500 million fine imposed last April for anti-steering violations.