Italy opens first DMA probe into Apple over cloud access

Italy’s competition authority opened its first probe under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act interoperability powers, putting Apple’s cloud controls under a direct enforcement test. The Italian Competition Authority said it is examining whether Apple gives third-party consumer cloud services the same access to hardware and software features that Apple reserves for iCloud on iOS and iPadOS.

At the center of the case is a practical question that will shape competition across Europe: can rival cloud providers perform a full device backup on Apple devices in the same way iCloud can? The regulator said competing services may not be on equal footing because they appear to lack access to the same components used by, or made available to, Apple’s own service.

The case matters beyond Italy because the authority said its findings will be shared with the European Commission, the DMA’s sole enforcer. Brussels has already defined the legal framework Apple must meet. The Commission says Article 6(7) requires gatekeepers to provide third parties with free and effective interoperability with hardware and software features controlled by iOS and iPadOS. On March 19, 2025, the Commission adopted two decisions spelling out measures Apple must take to comply, including one covering nine iOS connectivity features and another streamlining the request process for interoperability demands.

Those steps followed proceedings opened on Sept. 19, 2024, and they show how the new law is moving from principle to active enforcement. The Commission is also running a separate market investigation into cloud computing services under the DMA, with thematic roundtables scheduled for July 1, 2026 on interoperability, financial conditions and contractual terms. That broader work suggests cloud access has become one of the bloc’s most important competition battlegrounds.

Apple has said on its EU developer support page that developers can request interoperability with features built into iOS, iPadOS, iPhone and iPad under Article 6(7). But Apple has also signaled resistance in earlier EU proceedings, arguing the rules are bad for its products and users. If the Italian probe finds that Apple is withholding comparable access for rival cloud services, the outcome could force changes in how backup and related functions are exposed across Europe.

The move also adds to Italy’s long record of pressure on Apple. The same authority opened an investigation into Apple’s App Tracking Transparency policy in May 2023 and later imposed a 98.6 million-euro fine. Now it is turning to cloud interoperability, where the stakes are not just for Apple’s platform design but for competitors, developers and users trying to leave its ecosystem.