Only if the consumer is fully informed about the implications of sharing that data. But certainly google/meta have no interest in fully informing consumers and EU regulation prevents Apple from informing users of the potential harm of doing so (so called ‘scare screens’).
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Apple to Remove iPhone-Apple Watch Wi-Fi Sync in EU With iOS 26.2
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How come when the EU asks something to Google, MS or Meta they mostly comply, or at least have an intelligent discussion about how to implement the changes best, while Apple ALWAYS takes the "over my dead body" "kicking and screaming" approach?
To me, like the rest of their petty actions that are hostile towards their own customers (iphone mirroring, live translation, shareplay screen sharing, apple maps visited places, developer features, etc...) this is just another move that shows how little they care for their customers.
One day they'll wake up and realize their whole market is gone, and they won't even have the benefit of having a good reputation to perhaps rebound one day.
Around me, friends, family, colleagues, EVERY Apple is growing more and more annoyed by all of this, in addition to the design errance, the constant bugs, the price hikes in some products, the difficulty to repair, the planned obsolescence.
When asked if they plan to change, they all say they will not - for the moment - because they feel trapped in the ecosystem and it's expensive in both time, money and personal investment to make the move. But the sentiment is there and growing. Some of them have moved on and never looked back.
Granted, a pixel or galaxy phone isn't miles better, but at least you get what you pay for.
The magic that Apple had, making you fee all warm and fuzzy because you thought you had the most secure, reliable, and beautiful device is long gone.
Keep annoying me Apple, and you can be sure I'll throw away all my stuff. Sooner than you think.
To me, like the rest of their petty actions that are hostile towards their own customers (iphone mirroring, live translation, shareplay screen sharing, apple maps visited places, developer features, etc...) this is just another move that shows how little they care for their customers.
One day they'll wake up and realize their whole market is gone, and they won't even have the benefit of having a good reputation to perhaps rebound one day.
Around me, friends, family, colleagues, EVERY Apple is growing more and more annoyed by all of this, in addition to the design errance, the constant bugs, the price hikes in some products, the difficulty to repair, the planned obsolescence.
When asked if they plan to change, they all say they will not - for the moment - because they feel trapped in the ecosystem and it's expensive in both time, money and personal investment to make the move. But the sentiment is there and growing. Some of them have moved on and never looked back.
Granted, a pixel or galaxy phone isn't miles better, but at least you get what you pay for.
The magic that Apple had, making you fee all warm and fuzzy because you thought you had the most secure, reliable, and beautiful device is long gone.
Keep annoying me Apple, and you can be sure I'll throw away all my stuff. Sooner than you think.
Why does Apple have to build features for others to profit off ...
No ever asked to be able to put an Exynos processor in an iPhone, but you hate so much the EU you have to give such infantile examples, right?
People buy Apple for the reasons they are telling the EU to go to hell.
You need to consider the difference in business models between Apple and google/meta/ms to arrive at the answer to that.
Let me see if I understand - hard-core advertising companies like Meta lobbied the EU to require Apple to open up its system to gain access to a user's private data. Their argument was something like 'if Apple can share network credentials between two devices, then I should be able to access this data as well'. So Apple decides to not share the all this private data between its own devices in lieu of opening up private data to 3rd parties. Europeans applaud this effort as the EU protecting them from Apple. What?
Apple doesn't want to open up hardware access. I'm assuming this would include your unique MAC address, which advertisers would use to identify folks. I appreciate Apple privacy-focused efforts. Android is an open source system, Apple OS' are not. The EU continues to attempt to make Apple's OS' like Android. If you want an open system where everything is shared, buy Android devices.
Apple doesn't want to open up hardware access. I'm assuming this would include your unique MAC address, which advertisers would use to identify folks. I appreciate Apple privacy-focused efforts. Android is an open source system, Apple OS' are not. The EU continues to attempt to make Apple's OS' like Android. If you want an open system where everything is shared, buy Android devices.
The privacy concern is valid. Why does a new, third-party device automatically need to download the entire device-history of WiFi networks? All world governments (emphasis on ALL) want you sharing your personal data with as many 3rd parties as possible. Why? So they have a larger pool of companies from which to get your data. Apple refuses to cooperate? No problem. There are 100 other accessory makers who already siphoned off various bits and bytes from Apple devices.
Apple to me is starting to play a strategic game. They are starting to say OK you say we have to do X which goes against how we designed things. So that's fine, we'll just turn the feature off instead of customizing to align to the EU. I think this is a little push back in hopes that people will start to understand that in some cases (not all) the EU is getting a little out of their lane.
doesn't make sense, doesn't this all sync over iCloud Keychain? Are they removing Wifi Passwords from iCloud Keychain in the EU completely?
If so that will affect iPhone -> Mac sync and vice versa.
If so that will affect iPhone -> Mac sync and vice versa.
Not true as Apple was very specific about the lighting cable being a 10 year stint and they were heavily involved in USB-C research and development as well they rolled out USB-C in 2015 in the MacBook as the first consumer laptop with one.
People don’t seem to understand Apple was committed to Lightning for a decade due to the amount of accessories in the wild that people had invested in.
EU had nothing to do with the USB-C switch.
It’s certainly an example of Apple sticking up for their principles.
iCloud Keychain wouldn’t work between a phone and watch since the Watch first needs to connect to a network to obtain updated keychain information.
Because a bunch of dumb ass tech illiterate old people shouldn't determine how a tech company runs their business.
No the directive only applies to accessories that attach to the phone (so a watch, sports band). Other apps can already sync between devices such as an iPhone and Mac.
In that case, can we stop blaming the EU and being mad at them on that particular topic?
People still throw around the "EU forced Apple to drop superior Lightning! 🤬" thing all the time in these threads.
Oh they do all the time and the make tons on money on exactly this. All features in iOS, MacOS, iPadOS, App stores, are designed for supporting third parties (add developers) that themself earn money.
This does not protect anyone. People who buy Facebook/Meta gear already made the (in my opinion poor) decision, that they don't value privacy all that much. The only ones who will suffer will be loyal customers who just want to seamlessly use other third-party products. This is a loose-loose proposition in my opinion.
Of all the things you could've picked, this is what you decided to go with? This problem is already solved with the CEE 7/16 (IEC Type C) Europlug and the universal Schuko combo CEE 7/7 plug, compatible with CEE 7/4 (IEC Type E) and CEE 7/5 (IEC Type F) sockets, as those two basically work almost everywhere in the EU, and it's predictable that in a couple of decades all plugs will be either of those kinds and sockets may be standardised on the German 7/3 (IEC Type F) socket, as it's the most widespread anyway.
The only three big outliers that I can think of are Ireland (which I'm guessing, much like with left-hand drive, won't change their ways for practical reasons as, you know, it's an island, an important part of it with actual political ties to the UK) and, well, Great Britain (the reasons are the same, and the UK isn't part of the EU anyway) and their BS 1363 (IEC Type G) plugs and sockets, Switzerland and its SN 441011 (IEC Type J) plug and socket (which is also compatible with the Europlug, mind you, and again, it's yet another country that is not part of the EU but could very well introduce hybrid CEE 7/3 sockets with an extra receptacle for the Type J plug's earth prong if they ever joined the EU and were so inclined) and Italy and its really weird CEI 23-50 S 11/S 17 (IEC Type L) standard, which is now accommodated via the CEI 23-50 P 40 hybrid Schuko sockets, which can accept almost any appliance under the European sun.
All in all, considering the disjointed mess we began with, I think we're doing a great job on the electrical plug and socket standards nowadays, so… nope, not a great thing over which to pick on the EU lol. We even managed to get the Germans and the French, of all peoples, to take each other's standards and merge them into a hybrid, quasi-universal beast (the ugly but functional 7/7 plug, which allows one to move even quite heavy appliances across borders with no issue), for crying out loud.
And considering the fact that there are universal female IEC extension cord sockets on a lot of those appliances, power supplies, etc., you can even move them onto the weirder parts of Europe and beyond, so… yeah, that's a big fuss over nothing (case in point, I'm travelling to Switzerland soon and my plan is to buy a cheap IEC 60320 C13 to Type J plug extension cable, stick it on my Rewirable Schuko PowerCube adapter by allocacoc (I'm not getting a commission, I just love that thing and already bought two of those, except the first one wasn't for me, but for a now ex that moved to the UK), and BAM, instant access, on-the-go, to five Schuko/Europlug sockets (yeah, I know I can use Europlugs on regular Type J sockets, but it just so happen that the place where I'm staying at is an older building sorely lacking those anyway). I did the same before with it and an IEC 60320 to BS 1363 (IEC Type G) plug extension cable on the UK, Macau and Hong Kong and had no issue, either. It's surely not as practical as traveling across Europe and, well, not even needing an adapter, contrary to what your comment may lead some to believe, but again, we're talking about relatively insular/isolationist territories here, what more could you expect?
And before you tell me “boo-hoo, that's all very confusing electrical standards mumbo-jumbo”, I get you, but nah. Do travel across Europe and try to plug your stuff onto the available sockets; chances are, they will fit and work, first try, with zero fuss. Especially on hotels, hostels, AirBnBs, etc., as those tend to be renovated frequently and get the latest and greatest, most universal socket standards. And hey, if you're hailing from abroad, you may even find some Shucko-to-universal adapters already plugged onto the sockets (I know I've seen those on hotels already) or be able to find them in some drawer, get them at the reception desk, or buy them from a corner store nearby.
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With Apple opening up for third party watches to have a level-playing field, who is stopping you from buying only Apple products?
The EU are serving people who prefer to connect other watches to their iPhones instead of being forced to either stay in their techno-autocracy, or have to make an instant step away from everything Apple. Which many people are not able to afford.
Which is fine, the trouble arrives when Apple is expected to do that for no compensation!
I personally find it really distasteful that Apple is apparently very ok using their own customers as pawns on this fight.