Apple’s iMessage could reportedly avoid being subject to new regulations set to be enforced by the European Commission (EC), as officials have suggested the service is not popular enough with business users to warrant scrutiny.

Bloomberg reported the EC indicated iMessage will not fall under rules set by the Digital Markets Act (DMA) as it is not a service that can be deemed as an important gateway for business users.

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Among the regulations, the DMA will make it illegal for big technology companies to favour their own services over rivals’ offerings and place limits on the way data is used.

If iMessage was targeted, Apple would be required to ensure the service could also work with rival offerings including Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

The EC unveiled a list of 22 services which will be subject to the rules in September, including Alphabet’s Google Search, Amazon’s shopping marketplace and Meta Platforms’ Facebook.

Apple’s Safari browser and its App Store were also identified as “core platform services”, meaning they will also be subject to the rules, which are due to be enforced in early March 2024.

The Commission then separately ran an investigation into iMessage.

Notably, Apple recently detailed a plan to employ the Rich Communication Services messaging standard in 2024 to work alongside iMessage, a move CC Insight chief analyst Ben Wood said was largely driven by the DMA.