Apple Appeals EU Requirement on iOS Interoperability

Apple has filed an appeal against an EU decision ordering the company to make iOS more interoperable with devices, apps, and products from third parties. These interoperability requirements are part of the EU’s Digital Markets Act, and their purpose is to make products from third parties as easy to use on iPhones as Apple’s own products.

The European Commission outlined its final set of interoperability requirements for Apple in March 2025, and the iPhone maker, which is determined to protect its walled garden, had until May 30 to appeal. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple did so on the deadline day to avoid fines of up to 10% of its worldwide annual turnover.

The EU Commission’s interoperability requirements are pushing Apple to allow open up iOS in various ways: That includes the ability to receive iOS push notifications with pictures and reply to them on all smartwatches, making non-Apple connected devices easier to pair, and allowing developers to integrate alternatives to Apple’s AirDrop and AirPlay services into their iOS apps.

In a statement shared with the Wall Street Journal today, Apple explained that the interoperability measures mandated by the EU’s DMA are “deeply flawed.” In short, the company doesn’t want its competitors to be able to replicate the seamless experience it can deliver to consumers using its products together. Moreover, Apple argues that the interoperability requests from businesses and developers could force the company to share sensitive information with its rivals.

“At Apple, we design our technology to work seamlessly together, so it can deliver the unique experience our users love and expect from our products. The EU’s interoperability requirements threaten that foundation, while creating a process that is unreasonable, costly, and stifles innovation,” a spokesperson told the WSJ. “Companies have already requested our users’ most sensitive data–from the content of their notifications, to a full history of every stored WiFi network on their device–giving them the ability to access personal information that even Apple doesn’t see,” the company’s representative added.

A spokesperson for the EU Commission told the WSJ that the regulator’s decisions regarding interoperability are in line with the DMA. “We will defend them in Court,” the spokesperson said.

Overall, the spirit of the DMA is to push “gatekeepers” like Apple not to abuse their market power and keep consumers locked in their ecosystem. Improving interoperability with rival products is a big part of that, and in addition to benefiting consumers, this should ultimately encourage Apple to innovate even more in the future.