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Apple Still Testing AirPods-Like Pairing and Notification Forwarding for Third-Party Wearables in EU With iOS 26.5

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For the last several months, Apple has been working on interoperability changes that are set to be implemented in the European Union to comply with the Digital Markets Act. Apple is developing AirPods-like pairing and notification forwarding for third-party wearables.

european-union-eu.jpg

Testing on these features started back in iOS 26.3 and continued in iOS 26.4, but the options have not yet launched. Apple is still testing them in iOS 26.5, and both notification forwarding and proximity pairing for wearables are included in the iOS 26.5 beta. Today's update also appears to include a new feature forwarding Live Activities to a third-party wearable device, so Live Activities will be included under the notification forwarding umbrella.

Third-party wearables like earbuds will be able to use proximity pairing, similar to AirPods. Bringing a set of earbuds close to an iPhone or iPad will initiate an AirPods-like one-tap pairing process, so pairing third-party earbuds and other wearables will no longer require multiple steps.

Apple is also planning to allow third-party accessories like smartwatches to receive notifications from the iPhone. Users will be able to view and react to incoming notifications, which is a capability currently limited to the Apple Watch. Notifications are only able to be forwarded to one connected device at a time, and turning on notifications for a third-party device disables notifications on an Apple Watch.

Apple has not provided details on when these features will launch in the European Union, but the European Commission said that Apple will roll them out in Europe in 2026. Developers can test third-party TVs, smartwatches, and headphones with the new options.

The notification forwarding and proximity pairing features are only going to be available to device makers and users in the EU.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple Still Testing AirPods-Like Pairing and Notification Forwarding for Third-Party Wearables in EU With iOS 26.5
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/30/apple-airpods-like-pairing-notification-forwarding/
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joiwomcow said:
Europe: universal frictionless pairing of bluetooth devices with iphone.
Brexit Britain: universal mandatory link of your government ID to all your web browsing and app activity on iphone.
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And America proudly following the British tradition with a twist, as usual.
 
budselectjr said:
I wish Steve was still around to tell the EU to get lost.
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Steve would not have been happy about being forced to release a different kind of phone in Europe. He was notorious for defying conventions and government oversight. His core philosophy was that "users don't know what they want until you show them." External regulations forcing a "one-size-fits-all" approach (like a mandatory USB-C port) would have contradicted his desire to dictate design and user experience.

But for nine long months, he opted for a vegan diet, acupuncture, and herbal remedies instead of the recommended surgery.
So, he wasn't always right, was he?
 
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JPack said:
If Apple had their way, you'd only be able to browse using Safari and emails would only come through their Mail app.
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As long as it would make them more money. That is what companies and shareholders want: more money. In a perfect capitalist society a company that has the best product (and/or marketing) for the price would be the winner. But some companies have a stranglehold on the market and can upend and force other companies out or deny them features that would work otherwise. Therefore, sometimes governments need to step in for the best interest of the consumer (and maybe Apple as well: AirPods would now work nicer with Androids as well, correct?). I think usbc on iPhones has been a nice example as well: it actually helped Apple in the semi long run. And no need to feel sorry for Apple at the moment: my guess is they are killing it in the “cheap” laptop market with a perfect example of the above: a quality product for a price that competitors simply do not match. Showing that Apple does not need these lockout strategies to be successful.
 
the only thing preventing corporations from exploiting people and destroying environments is governmental regulations, because governments represent people, while corporations represent shareholders.

Now, the above doesn't mean governments aren't often ignorant or corrupt - because they are - but it's the only mechanism we have to keep private interests (a.k.a. the interests of the few) in check.

Also, more often than not, the very reason most governments are corrupt is because moneyed (i.e. corporate) interests succeeded in bribing them to do what's in the interests of corporate shareholders rather than the people they claim to represent.
 
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I wonder if there are some internal conflicts at Apple regarding this? The OS people would likely not mind feature parity for third parties because to would make the OS more popular while the AirPods people definitely would not like third part competition.
 
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