Italy's competition watchdog opens probe into Apple's iCloud interoperability under EU digital rules
Italy's antitrust authority has launched an investigation into Apple's cloud services, examining whether the company violates EU Digital Markets Act rules by not granting third‑party providers the same access to iOS and iPadOS features as iCloud.
The investigation
Italy's Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM) announced on 16 June 2026 that it had opened a probe into Apple, focusing on interoperability obligations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). iOS and iPadOS are designated as core platform services of a gatekeeper, meaning Apple must give consumer cloud providers free, effective interoperability and equal access to the same hardware and software components available to iCloud.
The regulator stated it has grounds to believe that third‑party cloud services may not be placed on the same footing as iCloud.
The Authority has elements to believe that third‑party consumer cloud service providers might not be placed under the same conditions as Apple's iCloud service, because they do not appear to have access to the same components used or otherwise made available to iCloud.
Interoperability obligations
Under Article 6(7) of the DMA, Apple must ensure that alternative cloud services can connect seamlessly with iOS and iPadOS, using the identical technical interfaces available to its own iCloud. The law aims to keep digital gatekeepers from tipping the playing field by embedding exclusive ties between their operating systems and their own cloud offerings.
The probe is the first time the AGCM has exercised the powers conferred on national competition authorities under Article 38(7) of the DMA, which allows them to conduct preliminary investigations in support of the European Commission.
Backup functionality at issue
According to the AGCM, Apple appears not to permit third‑party cloud storage services to use the iOS and iPadOS components that allow a full backup of device data, settings, app data, configurations and content, a feature reserved for iCloud. Without full backup capability, rival services are at a structural disadvantage that cannot be overcome by price or quality improvements alone.
It would seem that Apple does not allow alternative cloud storage services for end users to use the components of iOS and iPadOS that allow full backup of data present on devices, which is instead allowed to Apple's iCloud service.
Regulatory cooperation
The investigation was launched in close cooperation with the European Commission. Once the AGCM completes its inquiry, its findings will be transferred to the Commission, which remains the sole enforcer of the DMA. The case adds to a growing stack of DMA‑related scrutiny against Apple across the EU, where national regulators are increasingly willing to test the company's conduct in specific product lines.
Apple's history in Italy
Apple is no stranger to the Italian authority. The AGCM has fined the company repeatedly over the years, for misleading warranty practices and, more recently, a roughly €98.6 million penalty over its App Tracking Transparency rules. This cloud probe therefore begins against an established adversarial relationship, rather than a blank slate, and extends regulatory attention into a part of Apple's business that has so far attracted less scrutiny than the App Store.
