Apple and Microsoft want Europe's new law to stop labeling iMessage and Bing as "gatekeepers"

Apple and Microsoft are once again at odds with EU regulators over the new Digital Markets Act (DMA) legislation. The two tech giants are arguing that their platforms, iMessage and Bing, should not be designated as “gatekeepers” under the DMA, which would impose new restrictions on their businesses.

This week, Brussels will publish the first list of services to be regulated by the DMA on Wednesday. As reported by Financial Times, platforms that meet certain criteria, such as having an annual turnover of more than €7.5 billion, a market capitalization above €75 billion, and active monthly users in the EU of 45 million, will be subject to the rules of the Digital Markets Act. 

Apple argues that iMessage does not meet the threshold of user numbers at which the rules apply and that it would be unfair to require the company to open the service to rival apps. Microsoft, on the other hand, argues that its Bing search engine has a market share of just 3%, and that further legal scrutiny would put it at a disadvantage.

Starting the spring of this year, the DMA will impose new responsibilities on gatekeepers, such as sharing data with competitors, linking to their services, and making their services interoperable with rival apps. This will help to create a more level playing field for businesses and give consumers more choice.

Not too long ago, Microsoft was recently criticized for a pop-up that appeared on Google Chrome for Windows 11 users, urging them to switch to Bing, the default search engine for Microsoft Edge.