On 5 February 2026, the European Commission adopted a decision under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), concluding that Apple will not be designated as a “gatekeeper” for its Apple Maps and Apple Ads services. The Decision was today published in the Official Journal of the EU .

Although Apple met certain quantitative thresholds under the DMA, the Commission accepted Apple’s arguments that the two services do not act as important gateways between business users and consumers in the EU. As a result, no market investigation was opened.

The assessment found that Apple Maps has significantly lower usage than competing services such as Google Maps, both among end users and businesses in the EU. Apple Ads was also judged to have a limited market role, with a small revenue share compared to major competitors and no strong network or data advantages.

The Commission emphasized that gatekeeper status requires not just size, but also a strong and durable position as a key access point for users. In this case, it concluded those conditions were not met.

As a result, Apple will not face DMA gatekeeper obligations for Apple Maps and Apple Ads.