Apple, Microsoft win exemptions for iMessage, Bing from EU rules

FILE PHOTO: Women uses an iPhone mobile device as she passes a lighted Apple logo at the Apple store at Grand Central Terminal in New York City, U.S., April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Apple has won an exemption for its iMessage and Microsoft for its Bing search engine from new EU tech rules after the companies convinced antitrust regulators their services are not gateways for businesses to reach end-users.

The European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which takes effect in three weeks' time, requires Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet's Google, Amazon, Meta Platforms and ByteDance to allow third-party apps or app stores on their platforms and make it easier for people to switch to rivals.