Apple may be forced to stop blocking third parties from accessing Siri and more

Your favorite third-party apps and devices may soon become more integrated with Apple’s iOS mobile operating system then ever before – at least if you’re in the EU.

On Thursday, the European Commission began its first proceedings in order “to assist Apple in complying with its interoperability obligations” that are enforced under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The first proceedings are actually two specific proceedings. One proceeding is in regard to how iOS devices work alongside other connected devices such as wearables. The other addresses interoperability with iOS devices and third-party developers’ products.

“​​Today is the first time we use specification proceedings under the DMA to guide Apple towards effective compliance with its interoperability obligations through constructive dialogue,” said European Commission Executive Vice-President in charge of competition policy Margrethe Vestager in a statement. “We are focused on ensuring fair and open digital markets. Effective interoperability, for example with smartphones and their operating systems, plays an important role in this.” 

“This process will provide clarity for developers, third parties and Apple” Vestager continued. “We will continue our dialogue with Apple and consult third parties to ensure that the proposed measures work in practice and meet the needs of businesses.”

Apple has to open up iOS

The DMA is an EU regulation meant to ensure that Big Tech companies are providing open and fair platforms in order to spur competition within the marketplace.

According to the Commission’s latest proceedings, Apple is failing to abide by the DMA in two major ways.

The first proceeding addresses “iOS connectivity features and functionalities, predominantly used for and by connected devices.” These devices are described as essentially wearables such as smartwatches, headphones, and virtual reality headsets. It appears that the EU wants Apple to be more open with the interoperability between iOS devices such as iPhone and non-Apple wearables. The Commissions specifically mentions that iOS functionalities like notifications, device pairing, and connectivity with these third-party devices need to be improved upon by Apple.

The second proceeding takes aim at Apple over interoperability requests from third-party developers on iOS and iPadOS. According to the Commission, the request process needs to be “transparent, timely, and fair.” It appears that the EU wants Apple to provide more developer access to app makers looking to integrate iOS features like Siri and Apple Pay into their software. Today, third-party developer access to some of these features is either severely limited or completely restricted.

Under the DMA, Apple will have six months to address these issues from the European Commission. If the company does not comply, the EU can fine Apple a whopping 10 percent of its annual global turnover.

These fairly new tech regulations in the EU have already impacted Apple in a number of major ways. Most notably, Apple was forced to allow third-party app stores on its iOS devices, like iPhone, which would compete with its own official App Store. 

Will these DMA-spurred changes affect Apple users in the United States? In the case of alternative app stores, Apple only makes those available in the EU. However, EU regulations have had broader effects on the company outside of the territory. For example, EU regulation is what spurred Apple’s move from lightning cables to USB-C for its charging cables.