Italy's antitrust regulator opened a formal investigation into Apple on 16 June 2026, focusing on a requirement buried in European Union rules that large tech platforms must let other companies' services work properly with theirs, according to Reuters. The target is iCloud, Apple's cloud storage and backup service, and the question is whether Apple makes it genuinely possible for people to use competing storage services instead — or whether the company's design choices make Apple's own service the default and only practical choice.

This investigation in Italy follows earlier action by the European Commission (the EU's main regulatory body). Back in April 2024, the Commission had already gathered evidence that iCloud users had genuine difficulty switching to or using other companies' cloud services. The EU rule in question says that large platforms must give third-party services real, fast access. Apple's setup, critics say, does not do that.

Italy is not acting alone. Several regulatory bodies in Europe have already targeted Apple over similar issues — all related to rules called the Digital Markets Act, or DMA, designed to prevent large tech companies from favoring their own services over competitors.

In March 2024, the EU fined Apple over €1.8 billion for preventing music streaming companies from telling customers about cheaper ways to subscribe outside the Apple App Store. That was the first major penalty under these new rules. Then, in March 2025, the Commission issued explicit instructions to Apple on what the company must do to comply with the DMA. One month later, the Commission closed a separate inquiry after deciding Apple had cooperated well. Yet other regulators found that Apple's advertising and maps services do not give Apple enough market power to trigger the rules — so those services were removed from the investigation scope.

The reason this cloud investigation matters is subtle but important. Making Apple Music available on other devices is mostly a question of user interface — you can add a button and let people sign up elsewhere. But cloud interoperability is different. It requires Apple to change how its underlying systems work: how people log in, how data moves between services, and possibly the deep infrastructure that connects iPhones, Macs, and iPads to each other. If regulators push hard on this, the technical work could be far more demanding than other penalties Apple has faced.

Apple has not publicly commented on Italy's investigation at this time. The probe is still in its early stages, and any formal findings or penalties are likely months away.