Italy opens probe into Apple cloud services under EU DMA

Italy's competition authority has opened an investigation into Apple over potential violations of the European Union's Digital Markets Act, focusing on whether the company unfairly advantages its own iCloud service over third-party cloud providers. The Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato announced the probe on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, marking the first time the Italian regulator has initiated an investigation under the DMA's interoperability rules.

The investigation centers on concerns that Apple's iOS and iPadOS operating systems do not grant free and interoperable access to third-party consumer cloud storage services in the same manner as iCloud. Specifically, the authority suspects Apple does not allow competing providers to use features that enable users to fully back up their device data, a functionality that is available through iCloud. Under the DMA, which came into force in March 2024, Apple is designated as a "gatekeeper" and is required to open its core platform services to rivals.

While the European Commission retains sole authority to make final decisions and impose penalties under the DMA, national regulators like Italy's AGCM are empowered to conduct...