The battle between Apple and the EU continues. Not happy with simply forcing Apple to open up the iPhone (and others) to third-party App Stores, the European Commission is now ordering Apple to open up nine separate iOS connectivity features, which should enable better integration with products from other companies.
This is all covered by the Digital Markets Act, which came into force back in May 2023. Apple has long been critical of these regulations, but has shown its willingness to comply with them when it’s being made to. But unlike the switch to USB-C and RCS, Apple has restricted DMA-related changes to EU users.
So if you live in the U.S., U.K. or some other non-EU country, don’t expect any of these new changes to affect your iPhone experience.
What’s the EU making Apple do?
The EU is specifically taking issue with the fact that Apple is offering exclusive features to users that own its products, while denying that same access to others. This applies to connected devices including (but presumably not limited to) smartwatches, headphones and TVs.
The EU is targeting nine separate iOS connectivity features. This includes the ability for third-party smartwatches to access iOS notifications, easier device pairing and possibly AirDrop access.
The goal is to ensure that third-party accessory makers have the same opportunity to connect to iPhones as Apple’s own devices. Citing the DMA, the European Commission said that "gatekeepers, such as Apple, must provide developers with free and effective interoperability with hardware and software features controlled by or accessed via its operating systems."
The EU is targeting nine separate iOS connectivity features and brought up a few examples in its press release. This includes the ability for third-party smartwatches to access iOS notifications.
That’s something that Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky recently warned about. Apparently not much has changed in the years between Pebble’s initial death and recent resurrection. So the new PebbleOS watches will be lacking a number of key features when paired with an iPhone.
Should the EU’s new crusade succeed, Apple will similarly be forced to offer easier device setup and pairing. Which could mean a future set of wireless earbuds or headphones could instantly connect to your iPhone, much like AirPods do at the moment.
Also mentioned are "faster data transfers." including peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections and near-field communication (NFC). While not specifically stated, 9to5Mac notes that this could also force Apple to allow competitors to offer features like AirDrop and AirPlay.
Apple isn’t happy about this
It won't come as a surprise that Apple isn’t happy about this ruling. The company built the iOS ecosystem and has an interest in pushing users towards its own products.
In a statement to Reuters Apple said: "Today's decisions wrap us in red tape, slowing down Apple's ability to innovate for users in Europe and forcing us to give away our new features for free to companies who don't have to play by the same rules."
The statement added that, "it's bad for our products and for our European users. We will continue to work with the European Commission to help them understand our concerns on behalf of our users."
The benefits for users
You could easily make the argument that denying third-party smartwatches the ability to read notifications gives the best Apple Watches an unfair advantage.
Likewise, refusing to offer access to NFC prevents third parties from taking advantage of a very basic hardware feature — as they can with Android.
Had the EU not stepped in, iPhone users would be stuck using Apple Pay if they wanted to make mobile payments, simply because no third-party options were allowed.
Personally, allowing users the freedom to choose which accessories they buy and use with their iPhone is a good thing. We’ve already seen there are plenty of ways Apple can make its products stand out without locking away pretty basic functionality.
The Apple Watch’s myriad of health-centric hardware is a great example, as are the many different listening modes afforded by the AirPods Pro 2. And the fact that they can now double as hearing aids.
There's no timeline on when Apple will have to make these changes. That's something that'll be for the company and the European Commission to negotiate on. But, as ever, don't expect anything to change if you live outside the EU.
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