Italy's competition authority announced on June 16 that it has opened an investigation into Apple for potentially failing to comply with interoperability requirements under the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) [1, 2, 3, 4].
The probe targets whether Apple has allowed third-party consumer cloud service providers equal access to hardware and software components on its iOS and iPadOS platforms, similar to what Apple offers its own iCloud service [1, 2, 3, 4]. The DMA requires that Apple ensure third-party providers can interoperate effectively and free of charge with these components [1, 2, 3, 4].
Italy's authority stated it has gathered proof or indicative evidence suggesting that third-party cloud providers do not currently have the same level of access as Apple's own iCloud service [1, 4]. The investigation aims to verify whether Apple is hindering competition by limiting such access.
This is the first formal investigation launched by Italy under the DMA framework, which empowers national regulators to conduct preliminary probes and forward findings to the European Commission for further action [1, 4].
The DMA, designed to regulate large digital platforms, came into force recently, tightening interoperability and fairness rules across the European Union. Italy's authority will continue its review and report results to EU institutions for potential enforcement steps.
The next update on the investigation is expected as Italy's competition authority completes its fact-finding and possibly refers the case to the European Commission.
