Two years after the Digital Markets Act (DMA) took effect in May 2023, the European Union's landmark attempt to rein in Big Tech is showing tangible results—and revealing persistent challenges. The law targets a handful of 'gatekeepers'—companies like Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, and ByteDance—whose platforms have become essential digital infrastructure. It requires them to open their ecosystems to rivals, give users more control over their data, and stop favouring their own services.
The European Commission designated seven gatekeepers initially, and its first formal review in April 2026 declared the regulation still 'fit for purpose'. Yet for many Europeans, the DMA remains an invisible force shaping their daily digital lives.
More Choice, More Clicks
The most visible changes are choice screens and expanded default options. EU iPhone users can now set rival browsers or payment apps as defaults, install apps from outside the App Store, and use third-party payment solutions. In Germany, users pay via PayPal; in Scandinavia, local payment apps are available on Apple devices. Data from six companies tracked by Reuters shows EU users are moving away from default browsers like Chrome and Safari in favour of privacy-focused alternatives. Mozilla, maker of Firefox, reports strong user retention among those who select its browser via DMA-mandated screens, crediting EU growth to the law.
Cross-platform messaging, long a dream for digital rights advocates, has begun to materialise. A user of BirdChat, a Latvian start-up, can now send messages to someone on WhatsApp—technically and legally impossible before the DMA. Agustín Reina, Director General of BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation, calls this early proof the law is working. 'Today, consumers are able to choose their preferred browser on iOS through what we call a choice screen. We also started to see that consumers are able to exchange messages from BirdChat with someone who is on WhatsApp,' he told Euronews.
The Friction Problem
Not every citizen has experienced the DMA as liberating. Consumer surveys show simple digital tasks now require more steps for many, with up to 66 per cent of frequent users noting longer searches and some reporting less relevant results. Critics argue this friction is not accidental. They claim the DMA wrongly defines digital competition by prioritising rival access to established platforms rather than encouraging new competitors. Some warn that enforcing new rules before proven harm discourages investment and delays product launches.
Apple has said DMA compliance has affected how it rolls out features in the EU, delaying iPhone Mirroring for European users due to regulatory changes. For Reina, the real problem is not the law but how companies respond to it. 'The question is not whether the DMA makes things more difficult for consumers. It is why the implementation of the DMA by these companies is making the exercise of DMA rights more difficult for consumers,' he told Euronews.
A Game of Ping-Pong
In Brussels, where digital regulation is enforced, officials and consumer groups describe a slow, iterative battle with the world's largest technology companies. Gatekeepers submit changes, the Commission reviews them, finds them insufficient, and the cycle repeats. 'There is a ping-pong between the Commission and the gatekeepers. Many of these companies are making small changes and then going back to the Commission to say, 'Do you like this?' And the Commission will tell them, 'No, this is not enough.' This is simply delaying much-needed changes,' describes Reina.
The Commission has demonstrated its willingness to impose financial penalties. In April 2025, Apple was fined €500 million for violating anti-steering rules that prevented App Store developers from telling users about cheaper offers elsewhere. Meta received a €200 million fine for its 'consent-or-pay' advertising model, which the Commission ruled did not provide users with a genuine alternative. Both companies have appealed. No fines have been issued specifically for default-choice violations, though the Commission closed a probe into Apple's browser choice screen after the company agreed to improve usability.
AI and the Next Frontier
Consumer groups are considering issues beyond the DMA's current scope. The rapid integration of artificial intelligence into digital platforms raises questions about whether the law can keep up. The Commission has opened an investigation into Meta's decision to integrate AI into WhatsApp without offering users the option to opt out or choose an alternative chatbot—a move Reina sees as a test case for how the regulatory toolkit must evolve. 'These markets evolve very fast, and because of the nature of the technology, it becomes much more difficult to police. That is where the authorities need to have the mechanisms and the tools to say: until here, now you need to introduce these changes without delay,' insists Reina.
BEUC has called for extending the DMA's interoperability rules to social media platforms, arguing that users should be able to communicate across networks without being subject to unchosen algorithms. The group also believes cloud services and AI infrastructure should be included as they become central to the digital economy. Meanwhile, the European Parliament asserts that any trade deal with the United States would fail if it meant compromising EU digital standards. As French MEP Lalucq recently argued, the EU should never have signed a US trade deal under Trump—a sentiment that underscores the geopolitical stakes of digital sovereignty.
The DMA is now part of a wider geopolitical dispute. Washington critics describe it as a protectionist measure aimed at American firms. Several of the seven designated gatekeepers, including Alphabet, Apple, Meta, Amazon, and ByteDance, have headquarters outside Europe, yet the Commission maintains the law is determined by company size and market power, not nationality. For now, the law's impact on citizens' lives remains a work in progress—more choice, more friction, and a regulatory game that shows no signs of ending.
