Apple’s latest clash with European regulators has burst into the open, as the tech giant publicly demanded on September 25, 2025, that the European Union repeal its landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA). The move marks an escalation from behind-the-scenes legal wrangling to a full-throated public campaign, with Apple arguing that the sweeping rules are not only stifling innovation but also putting European users at risk and leaving them behind the rest of the world.
At the heart of Apple’s complaint is the DMA’s requirement that major tech platforms—so-called “gatekeepers”—open up their tightly controlled ecosystems to competitors. Since its introduction three years ago, the DMA has aimed to rein in anti-competitive behavior by making it easier for users to switch platforms and move data between devices and apps. For Apple, however, these mandates have become a sticking point.
In a formal submission to the European Commission, Apple contended that “the DMA should be repealed while a more appropriate fit for purpose legislative instrument is put in place.” According to Financial Times and TechCrunch, the company claims the law is “leading to a worse experience for Apple customers in the bloc by exposing them to new risks and reducing choices.” Apple’s blog post was forthright: “It’s been more than a year since the Digital Markets Act was implemented. Over that time, it’s become clear that the DMA is leading to a worse experience for Apple users in the EU. It’s exposing them to new risks, and disrupting the simple, seamless way their Apple products work together. And as new technologies come out, our European users’ Apple products will only fall further behind.”
The crux of the technical dispute centers on interoperability. The DMA requires Apple to make features like live translation for AirPods, iPhone mirroring with Mac computers, and the “Visited Places” and “Preferred Routes” functions in Apple Maps work not just within the Apple ecosystem, but also with third-party hardware and software. Apple says this is no small feat. “The DMA requires Apple to make certain features work on non-Apple products and apps before we can share them with our users,” the company explained, according to AP News. “Unfortunately, that requires a lot of engineering work, and it’s caused us to delay some new features in the EU.”
Take the live translation feature for AirPods, for example. The tool, which uses on-device AI to translate spoken language in real time, was unveiled to much fanfare earlier this month. But under the DMA, Apple must ensure the feature works with wireless earbuds from other brands before releasing it to European users. Apple argues that “we’ve suggested changes to these features that would protect our users’ data, but so far, the European Commission has rejected our proposals. And according to the European Commission, under the DMA, it’s illegal for us to share these features with Apple users until we bring them to other companies’ products. If we shared them any sooner, we’d be fined and potentially forced to stop shipping our products in the EU.”
Apple’s concerns go beyond delayed features. The company warns that DMA requirements to allow alternative app marketplaces and payment systems on iOS expose users to security risks, including online scams and malware disguised as games. The company has been particularly vocal about the dangers of sideloading—installing apps from outside the official App Store—which it argues dismantles its carefully curated protections. In its submission, Apple pointedly noted, “pornography apps are available on iPhone from other marketplaces – apps we’ve never allowed on the App Store because of the risks they create, especially for children.”
Apple also claims that the DMA’s provisions requiring compliance with rivals’ requests to access “user data and core technologies” create “serious risk” for its users. The company contends it cannot securely open services like notification content or WiFi network history to third-party devices without exposing sensitive user data. “As the company frames it, the DMA’s interoperability requirements are hard to square with the company’s commitment to user privacy,” reported TechCrunch.
The practical upshot, Apple says, is a two-tier system. European users are being left behind as the company spends more time engineering compliance rather than rolling out new features. “The DMA means the list of delayed features in the EU will probably get longer, and our EU users’ experience on Apple products will fall further behind,” Apple warned. The company also argues the DMA creates unfair competition, since it applies to Apple but not to Samsung, which is the smartphone market leader in Europe.
The European Commission, for its part, has been unequivocal in its response. At a regular press briefing in Brussels, Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier rejected Apple’s demands, stating, “There is absolutely no intention from the Commission’s side to repeal the DMA.” Regnier added, “Nothing in the DMA requires companies to lower their privacy standards, their security standards. To the opposite, it’s just about giving our users more choice.”
Regulators have pushed back on Apple’s narrative that the DMA forces a trade-off between openness and security. The Commission’s stated goal is to break open closed ecosystems and foster competition, not to weaken platforms. Regnier noted, “We facilitated DMA compliance when we came up with the specification decisions and we told [Apple] how they could be compliant when it comes to interoperability. After two months, Apple came back and asked us to scrap everything.” He also accused Apple of “contesting every little bit of the DMA since its entry into application,” undermining the company’s claim of wanting to be cooperative.
This confrontation is just the latest in a series of clashes since the DMA’s enforcement began. Apple was one of the first companies to be fined under the new rules, with a €500 million (about $587 million) penalty in an app store case last year. The company has appealed the decision. Apple’s strategy appears to be global, as it has issued similar warnings to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority regarding proposed “EU-style” regulations.
The dispute is unfolding amid a tense transatlantic backdrop. The U.S. government, under President Trump, has taken a protectionist stance, describing European regulations as “overseas extortion” and threatening tariffs and even sanctions against European officials responsible for implementing these laws. This broader conflict has already impacted trade negotiations, with Washington viewing laws like the DMA as unfair non-tariff barriers designed to handicap successful American companies.
For now, the standoff shows no sign of abating. Apple’s call for the DMA to be repealed has been flatly rejected, setting the stage for a protracted and bitter conflict that could shape the future of the global digital economy—and determine just how much choice, privacy, and security European consumers can expect from their tech devices in the years ahead.
