Brussels, February 5, 2026 — The European Commission has concluded that Apple’s online advertising service Apple Ads and its online intermediation service Apple Maps should not be designated as core platform services under the Digital Markets Act.
The Commission said the decision follows Apple’s notification of the two services on November 27, 2025, in which the company argued that neither service qualifies as an important gateway between business users and end users.
After assessing Apple’s submissions, the Commission found that Apple does not meet the gatekeeper criteria in relation to Apple Ads and Apple Maps. According to the Commission, neither service constitutes an important gateway for business users to reach end users within the meaning of the DMA.
The assessment was based on several factors, including Apple Maps’ relatively low overall usage rate in the European Union and the limited scale of Apple Ads in the EU online advertising sector.
The Commission said it will continue to monitor market developments related to the two services and may reassess the situation if substantial changes occur in the future.
The decision does not affect Apple’s existing designation as a gatekeeper for other core platform services, which was adopted by the Commission in September 2023 and April 2024.
The non-confidential version of the decision will be published on the Commission’s DMA website.
