Apple Demands EU Repeal DMA After Feature Delays Hit Users

One year after Europe's Digital Markets Act took effect, Apple isn't pulling any punches, the company claims regulators have created a mess that's hurting the very people the law was supposed to help. Apple argues the DMA is forcing "concerning changes" to how it designs products, while Samsung leads the European smartphone market without facing similar restrictions. So what is actually happening in this regulatory showdown?

Where do we go from here?

Apple is demanding the DMA be repealed or substantially revised, with independent technical experts in enforcement roles. The company wants more expertise, clarity, and focus on consumer needs rather than competitor wish lists. In short, understand the tech before writing the rules.

The European Commission is reviewing DMA effectiveness, yet early signs point to the law undercutting its own goals. Instead of boosting competition and choice, it is erecting barriers to innovation and pushing users toward reduced functionality with higher security risks. That shift mirrors the broader problem with swapping case by case enforcement for sweeping, preemptive rules built on vague ideas like fairness and contestability.

The ripple effects do not stop at the EU's borders. DMA-like regulations are spreading globally, with countries like India, Brazil, and Indonesia eyeing similar approaches. Apple's documented delays, privacy trade offs, and competitive disadvantages offer a preview of how this model performs in practice.

When innovation gets harder and pricier, everyone feels it. Fewer incentives for breakthrough work, less investment in the places that need digital infrastructure most. Apple's experience shows how regulatory uncertainty stacks on top of technical complexity, creating barriers that keep useful technology out of people's hands.

So the question lingers, who is being served here, consumers or competitors riding on forced technology transfer. Apple's record of delayed features, compromised privacy protections, and narrowed user choice points to regulatory overreach that chips away at the very innovation ecosystem the DMA says it protects. Whether European regulators adjust course is the test, consumer welfare or competitor welfare, which one really drives EU digital policy.