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What does “gatekeeper” mean under the DMA?
The DMA is an EU rulebook for large digital platforms that can act as important gateways between businesses and consumers. A company may be designated when it has significant scale and impact in the EU, operates a core platform service, and holds an entrenched and durable position that makes the service important for business users seeking to reach end users.
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Three terms should not be conflated:
- Gatekeeper: the company designated by the Commission.
- Core platform service: a particular service covered by the designation, such as an app store, search engine, operating system, online marketplace or messaging service.
- DMA obligation: a legal requirement governing conduct involving a covered service.
Designation is a regulatory status, not a finding that the company is an unlawful monopoly or has violated the DMA. The Commission’s first designations followed a 45-day review of notifications from potential gatekeepers. The Commission’s September 2023 announcement lists the original companies and services.
Which companies were in the original designation?
The initial decision designated 22 core platform services across six companies. The company names below distinguish the legal entities from familiar consumer brands.
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| Designated company | Familiar brands or services | Original status |
|---|---|---|
| Alphabet Inc. | Designated | |
| Amazon.com Inc. | Amazon | Designated |
| Apple Inc. | Apple | Designated |
| ByteDance Ltd. | TikTok | Designated |
| Meta Platforms Inc. | Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger | Designated |
| Microsoft Corporation | Microsoft, Windows, LinkedIn | Designated |
ByteDance is why a headline naming only Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft is incomplete as a description of the original announcement.
Which services are covered?
The designation attaches to particular services, not automatically to a company’s entire business. The Commission’s Gatekeepers Portal lists the currently designated services. Its current list reflects changes made after the original 2023 decision.
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Alphabet
- Google Play
- Google Maps
- Google Shopping
- Google Search
- YouTube
- Android Mobile
- Alphabet’s online advertising service
- Google Chrome
Amazon
- Amazon Marketplace
- Amazon Advertising
Apple
- App Store
- iOS
- Safari
- iPadOS
Meta
- Messenger
- Meta Ads
Microsoft
- Windows PC operating system
ByteDance
- TikTok
What does the DMA change for users and businesses?
The DMA sets obligations for designated services across defined categories of core platform services. The Commission describes rules concerning matters such as user choice, steering, data access, interoperability and how gatekeepers may use or combine data. The precise obligation depends on the service and the provision involved; the rules are not identical for every company or product.
- Users: rules can provide more ability to choose or change defaults and to use alternatives where the DMA applies.
- App developers: applicable rules can allow them to communicate offers and direct users to alternatives outside a gatekeeper’s service.
- Businesses and sellers: rules can affect access to platform-generated data and the terms on which businesses reach customers through a platform.
- Advertisers and publishers: provisions can affect data access and the relationship between advertising services and business users.
- Competing services: interoperability or choice requirements may matter for messaging, browsers, app distribution and other covered areas.
These provisions are not simply consumer-protection rules: they also address the position of developers, merchants, advertisers, publishers and other businesses that rely on platforms. The rules create rights and duties, but their practical effects depend on implementation and enforcement.
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Which services were considered but not designated?
The Commission concluded that Apple’s iMessage and Microsoft’s Bing, Edge and Microsoft Advertising should not be designated after examining the companies’ arguments. These decisions did not change Apple’s or Microsoft’s gatekeeper status for their other designated services. The Commission’s February 2024 decision explains those outcomes.
The Commission also initially accepted arguments that Gmail, Outlook.com and Samsung Internet Browser did not qualify as gateways. Samsung was not designated as a gatekeeper in the original decision. The original designation announcement describes these exclusions.
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When did the obligations take effect?
For the six companies designated in September 2023, the main compliance deadline was March 7, 2024. From that date, they had to comply with applicable DMA obligations and submit compliance reports describing their measures. The Commission also required independently audited descriptions of techniques used for consumer profiling, alongside non-confidential report versions. The Commission’s March 7, 2024 notice sets out these requirements.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How has the list changed since 2023?
- February 13, 2024: The Commission decided not to designate iMessage, Bing, Edge or Microsoft Advertising.
- April 29, 2024: The Commission designated Apple’s iPadOS. It found the operating system to be an important gateway for business users to reach end users, with an entrenched and durable position, even though it did not meet the relevant quantitative thresholds. Apple had six months to comply for iPadOS. The iPadOS decision explains the reasoning.
- May 13, 2024: Booking.com was designated for online intermediation services.
- April 23, 2025: Meta’s Facebook Marketplace service was removed from designation.
As of August 18, 2026, the Commission portal lists seven gatekeepers—Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Booking, ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft—and 23 designated core platform services. The portal is the current reference for the service-by-service list.
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What enforcement has followed?
Designation starts an ongoing compliance process; it does not itself settle whether a company has breached the rules. In March 2024, the Commission opened non-compliance investigations involving Alphabet, Apple and Meta. The concerns included Google Play steering rules, Google Search self-preferencing, Apple App Store steering rules, Apple’s browser-choice screen and Meta’s “pay or consent” approach. The Commission also issued document-retention orders to Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft. These were investigations and concerns, not by themselves final infringement findings. The Commission’s investigation announcement describes the matters opened at that time.
What is the status of AWS and Microsoft Azure?
On June 25, 2026, the Commission announced a preliminary position that Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure should be designated as gatekeeper services. As of August 18, 2026, that is a preliminary position, not a final designation. The Commission’s stated considerations include scale, gateway importance, entrenched positions, switching costs, lock-in and the role of ecosystems and AI tools in cloud procurement. The June 2026 announcement sets out the preliminary position; the Commission’s DMA review Q&A provides wider context.
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