Fu Yun Chi and Bart H. Meyer
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Apple’s (NASDAQ:) iMessage and Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:) Bing search engine are exempt from new EU technical rules, EU competition authorities said on Tuesday, accepting the companies’ argument that the services are not gateways to reaching end users.
The new Digital Markets Act will come into force in three weeks.
Its demands include a commitment from Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet (NASDAQ:) Google, Amazon (NASDAQ:), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:) and ByteDance to allow third-party apps or app stores on their platforms and make it easier for users to switch from default apps to competing ones .
Companies are also prohibited from giving preference to their services.
After a five-month investigation, the European Commission found that iMessage, Bing, Edge and Microsoft Advertising “do not qualify as gatekeeper services,” the EU chief executive said in a statement.
The commission said Apple’s App Store, iOS operating system and Safari browser will continue to be classified as watchdog devices, as will Microsoft’s social network Linkedin and Windows operating system.
The statement said it carried out a “careful assessment of all arguments, taking into account input from relevant stakeholders.”
He did not provide details of the companies’ arguments.
Apple welcomed the Commission’s decision.
“Today’s consumers have access to a wide range of messaging apps and often use many at once, which demonstrates how easy it is to switch between them,” the spokesperson said.
Microsoft said Bing, Edge and Microsoft Advertising are competitors in the market.
“We will continue to engage with the Commission and the wider industry to ensure that other Microsoft platforms are fully compliant with the DMA requirements,” the spokesperson said.