Apple loses court case over how it controls its app stores

Europe's top court has ruled against Apple in a legal battle over app store regulation. The General Court of the European Union confirmed that Apple must follow new European rules that treat the company as a "gatekeeper" — a term that means Apple has so much control over how people access software that it must allow competitors' services to work with it Engadget.

Apple argued that its five app stores — one for iPhones, one for Macs, and separate ones for watches, tablets, and Apple TV — should be treated separately and might not need this oversight. The court disagreed. Judges said the five stores should be treated as one system, which means Apple cannot escape these new rules by saying some of its products are too small to matter CJEU.

The new rules require Apple to let other companies' services work alongside its own in its app stores, and they prevent Apple from giving its own services special treatment. Apple has said it disagrees, arguing that opening up its stores to others will make iPhones and other devices less secure. A company spokesperson stated: "We firmly believe the DMA's mandate goes beyond what is lawful and proportionate, threatening to erode decades of privacy and security protections we've built and leaving our users vulnerable to new risks" Engadget.

Apple is fighting this regulation on multiple fronts. The company has two other court cases pending in Europe — one about forcing iOS to work with apps from other developers, and another challenging a €500 million fine for stopping app makers from telling users about cheaper ways to pay for services outside the App Store Engadget.

The company is also making a separate argument in the court of public opinion. In September 2025, Apple said the European regulation "is not living up to" what it promised — that it would actually help competition and give users more choices Apple Newsroom. That is a different complaint than its legal case; Apple is essentially saying the new rule is a bad policy, separate from whether it is legal.

This ruling settles one question: the European Commission had the legal right to regulate Apple this way. What it does not settle is whether opening up Apple's app stores will actually help consumers or whether it genuinely weakens security, as Apple claims. Those are questions for the other court cases and for ongoing debate.

Apple can try to appeal this decision to a higher court, but the company has not said yet whether it will. The other two cases — about third-party apps and the €500 million fine — will likely have more impact on how people actually buy and use apps, since they deal with real money and distribution, not just legal designation. Those decisions are still coming.