Apple and Microsoft oppose the status of iMessage and Bing in the European Union

Microsoft and Apple are reportedly seeking to keep Bing and iMessage, respectively, out of the list of “gatekeepers” subject to the new European regulations. financial times reports That both companies privately (and separately) argue that their services are not big or strong enough to justify the restrictions of the Digital Markets Act, a rule designed to boost competition in technology.

The European Commission is due to publish a list of appointed gatekeepers on September 6th, naming companies in general as well as the specific services they provide. These powerful platforms, which are defined on the basis of their revenue and numbers of users, will be required to satisfy a large number of rules of interoperability and competition. It is already known that Apple and Microsoft — along with Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, ByteDance and Samsung — are on the list, but the committee will have to decide which parts of their empires should be covered. Once the EU appoints its guards, they will have six months, or until March 2024, to comply with the DMA rules.

according to footMicrosoft is “unlikely” to argue that its Windows platform meets the definition of a gatekeeper, but it argues that Bing’s relatively small share of the search market (compared to its better-known competitor Google) can only diminish further if it has to do things like Give users access to competing search engines.

Similarly, Apple is said to be working on methods that would open up iOS to third-party app stores and sideloading to comply with expected rules. but foot The company argues iMessage does not reach the DMA user limit of 45 million monthly active users and therefore should not have to interact with other messaging services. like foot Although Apple did not disclose official numbers, external estimates indicate that iMessage may have one billion users around the world.

The DMA is part of a set of European Union laws designed to limit the power of technology companies. The Digital Services Act, which focuses on how platforms handle and oversee user data, took effect late last month.