DMA: these new features that are shaking up the daily lives of European Internet users

On March 6, 2024, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) came into force in the European Union. Its main objective: to fight against the dominant position of Gafam. Internet users from the Old Continent are discovering the changes brought about by this new regulation, some of which are not the most pleasant.

Maps and Flights disappear from Google searches

The DMA will move the lines for Gafam. Among the main changes, Apple must now accept alternatives to its App Store on iOS. A first for this usually very closed ecosystem. But this also means that if you travel outside of Europe, you will no longer have access to these third-party stores. It will therefore be impossible to download applications or update them.

At Google, Maps no longer appears when you search for a place like a hotel, restaurant or cinema, for example, from its search engine. Exit reviews, session times, itineraries, etc. However, you can reactivate the service from the settings.

Google Maps is not the only one to disappear by default due to the DMA: Flights suffers the same fate. Instead, alternatives like airline sites and aggregators appear. Like Maps and following the same process, you can bring the service back into your Google searches.

Copilot not authorized in Europe

Another consequence of the DMA is the absence of Microsoft’s Copilot virtual assistant. Windows users will not benefit from this artificial intelligence-boosted tool despite updates to comply with EU rules. So don’t expect to be entitled to it in the EEA (European Economic Area), as the Redmond firm indicated in its blog on February 29.

Let us remember, however, that the DMA, despite these problematic points for users, aims to facilitate the promotion of alternatives by twisting the neck of the Gafam monopoly. Which is good news in itself, even if you will have to deal with the constraints stated above.