Sections: the five areas covering mobile platform rules

The Berlaymont building facade, European Commission headquarters, Brussels, photographed from street level showing the glass curtain wall and the EU flag

Photo: 2017-10-17-bruessel-europaviertel-berlaymont03 · Wikimedia Commons

Section 1

Brussels moved first, and it moved by regulation rather than by court

The Digital Markets Act, gatekeeper designations, alternative marketplaces, the Core Technology Fee, and the April 2025 fine — what the EU wrote, what Apple did, and what the Commission did next.

The other 3 in Brussels

6 pieces. The Berlaymont's curtain wall. Every obligation in this section begins inside this building.

The exterior of the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Oakland, California, photographed on a clear day from the plaza

Photo: Robert So / Pexels

Section 2

Two courts, one question, and neither answer is finished

Epic v. Apple from the 2021 Oakland ruling to the 2025 contempt finding, Epic v. Google's December 2023 jury verdict and its injunction, the developer class settlements, and the consumer cases.

The other 3 in The Courts

6 pieces. The federal courthouse in Oakland. The United States never legislated on this; it litigated, twice.

A laptop screen showing a developer analytics console with revenue figures visible, an adult's hands resting on the keyboard, photographed in office light

Photo: Jakub Zerdzicki / Pexels

Section 3

Fifteen per cent is the whole argument

The 30% commission, the small-business programme, subscription revenue's share of app income, ARPU by market, user acquisition costs after ATT, and what the top-grossing charts show as public data.

The other 3 in The Numbers

6 pieces. A developer analytics console. Almost every public figure here is an estimate read off a screen.

A rack of Android test devices on a laboratory bench, screens lit, photographed from slightly above to show the row of displays

Photo: Ludovic Delot / Pexels

Section 4

A store is a distribution channel before it is a shopfront

App Store and Google Play review guidelines as published policy, Epic's Swedish store, F-Droid, Samsung Galaxy Store, Huawei AppGallery after 2019, and Amazon Appstore's 2025 closure.

The other 2 in The Stores

5 pieces. A bench of Android test devices. A store is a distribution channel before it is a shopfront.

An adult looking at a smartphone screen in an indoor public space, the phone screen bright against the ambient light, face visible and in focus

Photo: Faheem Ahamad / Pexels

Section 5

The place where all of this is finally settled

WhatsApp, WeChat, TikTok's US divestiture law, Telegram, Duolingo's streak mechanic, BeReal's sale, and the retention numbers on AI assistant apps since 2023.

The other 2 in The Apps

5 pieces. A phone in an indoor public space, which is where all of this is finally settled.

Five places the rules are actually written

Brussels moved first, and it moved by regulation rather than by court

Two courts, one question, and neither answer is finished

Fifteen per cent is the whole argument

A store is a distribution channel before it is a shopfront

The place where all of this is finally settled