Apple is once again in the crosshairs of European regulators. The European Commission has announced that it is considering classifying Apple Maps and Apple ads as “concierge services” under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a label that would put them under closer scrutiny for competition and transparency. But Apple says none of the services meet the criteria. If designated, these platforms would join Apple’s App Store, Safari and iOS, which are already classified as gatekeepers under the EU’s broader technology regulation. The commission has 45 days to take its final decision.

Apple pushes back

However, Apple is not convinced. The company argued that Apple Maps and Apple Advertising do not have anywhere near the market dominance required to be considered a gatekeeper.

“Apple Maps has very limited use in the EU compared to rival services Google Maps and Waze,” the company said. It also claimed that its Apple advertising platform is “smaller than competing services offered by Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok and X,” Reuters reports.

Apple’s opposition is no surprise. The company has already been fined €500 million (roughly Rs. 4,500 crore) under the DMA, making it one of the first companies along with Meta to face penalties under the law. Those fines were related to Apple’s App Store rules, browser defaults, and web distribution restrictions.

If Apple’s ads and maps are added to the gatekeeper list, both services would face the same level of oversight, including requirements to share more data with competitors and make their systems interoperable.

What makes a service ‘gatekeeper’?

The Digital Markets Act, which came into force earlier this year, targets what the EU calls “core platform services,” digital ecosystems so large and influential that they act as essential gateways between businesses and consumers. This designation aims to curb monopolistic behavior by forcing these companies to open up, improve interoperability, and avoid self-preference.

For a service to qualify, it must have at least 45 million monthly active users and 10,000 annual business users within the EU, as well as a sustainable market presence. The Commission confirmed that it had received data from Apple showing that both Apple Maps and Apple advertising meet the numerical limits that prompted the current review.

If the Commission decides to proceed, Apple will have six months to comply with the DMA’s transparency and interoperability rules. This means the EU could soon demand Apple open up these services, just as it has ordered changes to iOS and the App Store, potentially forcing Apple to change how ads are sold and how Maps integrates with other platforms.

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Google’s case sets a precedent

Apple’s situation mirrors that of the rival Google faced earlier this year. After years of antitrust investigations, the EU previously designated both Google Maps and Google Ads as gatekeepers. Regulators argued that Google used its advertising dominance to unfairly tie Google ads to its search and display networks, leaving advertisers few choices.

That decision resulted in billions of euros in fines and strict compliance requirements for Google. Now, the European Commission is exploring whether Apple’s smaller but tightly integrated services pose similar risks, especially given Apple’s growing influence in advertising through its App Store search ads and privacy-focused tracking system, which competitors say harms them.

If the Commission moves forward with the designation, Apple Maps and Apple Ads will have until mid-2025 to become fully compliant. This could include new data-sharing rules, transparency mandates around ad pricing, and possibly restrictions on how Apple promotes its services.

For now, Apple says the EU’s approach risks “punishing innovation rather than promoting competition.” Yet with regulators doubling down on the big tech powerhouse, it’s clear the company’s feud with Brussels is far from over.