The European Union (EU) has sent preliminary guidance to Apple on the changes it needs to make to comply with its interoperability obligations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

According to the European Commission, interoperability allows third-party products to integrate deeply and seamlessly with the Apple ecosystem, creating opportunities to develop new products and services and providing more choice for European consumers.

The Commission proposed two main groups of measures: equipment and procedures. The equipment measures focus on nine iOS connectivity features that were previously exclusive to Apple, including peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections, NFC, and device pairing.

This means devices like Bluetooth headphones, smartwatches, smart TVs, and other non-Apple products will have better compatibility with the iPhone.

apple eu macrumors
The EU asks Apple to open up its iOS ecosystem to third parties. Photo: Macrumors

The 9to5Mac blog has listed some of the key changes that Apple must make in accordance with the EU guidelines. Specifically:

By the end of 2025, third-party smartwatches must be able to display and interact with iOS notifications.

By June 1, 2026, Apple must enable automatic audio switching for third-party headphones.

By June 1, 2026, Apple must also allow third parties to provide AirDrop-like solutions on iOS.

On iOS 20 or by the end of 2026 at the latest, Apple must allow third parties to implement AirPlay-like solutions.

According to the European Commission, these measures aim to increase transparency and efficiency when third parties access technical documentation related to features that were previously unavailable. At the same time, they help improve communication processes, ensure timely updates, and provide clearer timelines for considering interoperability requests.

The EU has identified Apple as the “gatekeeper” of two important platforms – iOS and iPadOS. Under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), companies in this role must provide free and efficient interoperability between hardware, software and developers through their operating systems.

Apple has protested the EU’s decision, saying it puts it under “burden” by bureaucracy and stifles innovation for European users. It has also expressed concerns about having to share new features for free with companies that are not subject to the same rules.

One of the most controversial issues for Apple is the request to open up access to the iOS notification system, which Apple says could allow third parties to collect all of a user’s notifications in unencrypted form and send them to its servers, effectively defeating the privacy protections Apple typically puts in place.

However, Apple affirmed that it will comply with the law and continue to work with the Commission on related issues.

While Apple sees the DMA as a barrier to innovation, many small companies complain about the lack of interoperability with its ecosystem.

After the launch of the new smartwatch, Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky wrote a lengthy blog post criticizing Apple's restrictions, arguing that they make third-party smartwatches less competitive than the Apple Watch.

“They clearly use their market power to keep users in their closed ecosystem. That reduces competition, drives up prices, and limits innovation,” he said.

(According to 9to5mac, Macrumors, TechCrunch)