Apple faces first Italian DMA investigation into iCloud interoperability

The Italian competition regulator announced on Tuesday that it had opened an investigation into Apple regarding its compliance with interoperability obligations set out in the European Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Under the DMA, Apple must ensure that third-party providers of consumer cloud services can interact effectively and free of charge with Apple’s iOS and iPadOS software platforms. The rules also mandate equal access to Apple’s iCloud service.

The Italian Competition Authority said in a statement on its website that it had evidence that other consumer cloud service providers “cannot be placed on an equal footing with Apple’s iCloud” because they do not appear to have access to the same software features available to Apple’s own service.

Specifically, the authority said Apple does not allow alternative cloud storage services to use features in iOS and iPadOS that allow users to take a full backup of their device data.

The investigation is the first of its kind opened by the Italian watchdog under the ⁠DMA, which allows national regulators to conduct preliminary investigations.

The authority said its findings would be shared with the European Commission “to support it in its role as sole implementer of the DMA”. Companies that violate DMA rules can be fined up to 10% of their global annual turnover.

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