The iPad operating system is set to comply with the regulations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) within six months, as per a letter issued by the European Commission to the tech giant on Monday.
Newsng understands that the action increases regulatory risk for the tech giant by placing its tablet ecosystem inside the purview of the DMA and bringing the number of Apple-owned platforms regulated under it to four.
It will have to make some adjustments for iPad users to comply with its regulations, such as enabling them to download apps from other app stores and delete pre-installed apps from the device.
This action is part of a larger campaign of pressure on businesses that the EU labels as gatekeepers.
It comes after the EU decided to launch a market inquiry in September to examine whether Apple’s iPadOS satisfies the DMA regulations, which went into force last month.
Newsng gathered that In the upcoming six months, Apple must permit access to non-WebKit versions of Safari on iPadOS, just as it has done on iOS. App developers will have a legal entitlement to FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) conditions if they reach customers through iPadOS.
The Commission declared last autumn that the DMA’s set of explicit ‘does and don’ts’ applied to Apple’s mobile platform, iOS, App Store, and Safari browser.
“On 5 September 2023, the Commission designated Apple as a gatekeeper for its operating system iOS, its browser Safari and its App Store.
“On the same day, the Commission opened a market investigation to assess whether Apple’s iPadOS, despite not meeting the quantitative thresholds laid down in the DMA, constitutes an important gateway for business users to reach end users and therefore should be designated as a gatekeeper,” the EU wrote.
Penalties under the regime are severe and can amount to as much as 10% of the global annual turnover, or more in cases of recurrent offences.
We earlier reported that in compliance with the European Union’s Digital Market Act Regulation, Apple has released iOS 17.4 update and released a new API, FinanceKit.
