https://www.geeknetic.es/Noticia/36718/Apple-notifica-a-Europa-que-Maps-y-Ads-cumplen-los-umbrales-para-ser-regulados.html

The European Commission has confirmed the receipt of an official notification from Apple that could alter the operation of two of its services on the continent. The Cupertino company has informed Brussels that both Apple Maps like your platform Apple Ads have exceeded the usage thresholds established by the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which opens the door for them to be designated as “gatekeepers” or gatekeepers.

In the statement, dated November 27, 2025, it is detailed that both services comply with the quantitative requirements of the regulations: exceeding the 45 million active end users per month and have more than 10,000 business users annually in the European Union during the last three financial years. The Commission now has a period of 45 working days to evaluate the data and decide whether to impose the official designation. If confirmed, Apple would have six months to adapt these platforms to strict European competition rules.

Functional evolution and new avenues of income

The growth of Apple Maps’ user base is no coincidence, but the result of years of investment to compete against Google. The company has been polishing the user experience with advanced functions, going so far as to integrate the ability to search for places with natural language in Apple Maps, which allows for much more complex and conversational queries than simple keyword searches.

On the other hand, the fact that Apple Ads has exceeded the user threshold reflects the technology company’s change in strategy towards services. Part of this growth is due to the interest of businesses in gaining visibility, a logical move given that the company is already preparing the arrival of ads directly to the map interface. Ironically, the success of this monetization strategy is what has put the company under the scrutiny of European regulators, who will now have to determine whether Apple exercises excessive control over how companies access consumers through its maps and advertising.