Apple warns of more feature delays in Europe

Apple says it’s having to hold bringing immoderate merchandise features to Europe due to the fact that it’s struggling to marque them compliant with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). In a connection published connected Wednesday, Apple said that DMA rules person created “more complexity and much risks for our EU users,” blaming the work to unfastened Apple features to third-party devices for the delays.

Features impacted see AI-powered Live Translation for AirPods, iPhone Mirroring, and  Visited Places and Preferred Routes connected Apple Maps. While interoperability requirements nether the DMA specify that companies marque proprietary apps and instrumentality features disposable connected third-party hardware, Apple says it hasn’t recovered a mode to marque these features disposable connected non-Apple devices without compromising users’ information information and privacy.

DMA requirements to marque it easier to pair, transportation data, and show notifications betwixt iPhones and third-party devices are bearing immoderate fruit, however. The latest iOS 26.1 beta suggests that a “notification forwarding” diagnostic volition let iPhone notifications to aboveground connected non-Apple devices, specified arsenic smartwatch competitors to the Apple Watch. The beta besides includes references to a diagnostic that volition marque it easier to brace iPhones with third-party accessories.

Despite its ongoing absorption to the DMA, Apple insists that it’s “spending thousands of hours” to beryllium compliant with the law’s requirements, and that the “list of delayed features successful the EU volition astir apt get longer” owed to these impediments. The EU has fixed Apple until the extremity of this twelvemonth to unfastened up astir of these features if it makes them disposable to European users, oregon hazard facing further fines nether the DMA. The institution was deed with a $580 cardinal punishment successful April aft the App Store violated anti-steering requirements nether the rulebook. 

The iPhone shaper has called for the DMA regularisation to beryllium repealed “while a much due acceptable for intent legislative instrumentality is enactment successful place,” according to a feedback submission seen by the Financial Times. 

While Apple’s concerns astir idiosyncratic information whitethorn clasp merit, the institution is besides motivated to spot the DMA scrapped to forestall the authorities from tearing down the walled plot that incentivizes consumers to enactment successful its merchandise ecosystem. Denying Europeans entree to features implicit DMA compliance concerns whitethorn assistance Apple support its idiosyncratic basal on-side successful its statement with the EU.