EU Commission Gives Apple Six Months to Improve Device Interoperability on iOS and iPadOS

The European Commission announced today that it has started proceedings to push Apple to improve the interoperability of iOS and iPadOS with third-party connected devices. The two mobile platforms have been previously designated by the EU regulator as “core platform services” that need to be regulated under the Digital Markets Act, and they’re not fully compliant yet.

In the EU, Apple has already allowed alternative app stores and browser engines on iOS and iPadOS. However, Apple also needs to comply with the DMA’s interoperability obligations, and the EU Commission today explicitly mentioned “smartwatches, headphones and virtual reality headsets.”

“Companies offering these products depend on effective interoperability with smartphones and their operating systems, such as iOS. The Commission intends to specify how Apple will provide effective interoperability with functionalities such as notifications, device pairing and connectivity,” the EU Commission’s press release reads.

The EU regulator is giving Apple six months to improve the interoperability of iOS and iPadOS with connected devices. The Commission will also push Apple to make the interoperability process request for developers and third parties “transparent, timely, and fair.”

If Apple fails to comply with these new DMA-related interoperability obligations, the company could face fines of up to 10% of its global annual turnover. In a statement shared with 9to5Mac, Apple emphasized that it has already opened access to its operating systems in a way that protects its users’ privacy and security, adding that going further may expose its platforms to attackers. However, the company said that it’s committed to working with the EU Commission to comply with the DMA.

“At Apple, we’re proud of the fact that we’ve built over 250,000 APIs that allow developers to build apps that access our operating system and functionalities in a way that ensures users’ privacy and security,” Apple said in the statement. “To comply with the DMA, we’ve also created ways for apps in the European Union to request additional interoperability with iOS and iPadOS while protecting our users. Undermining the protections we’ve built over time would put European consumers at risk, giving bad actors more ways to access their devices and data. We will continue to work constructively with the European Commission on a path forward that both protects our EU users and clarifies the regulation.”