Apple to Remove iPhone-Apple Watch Wi-Fi Sync in EU With iOS 26.2

[Unregistered 4U]

Apple removing features after introducing new watches...Classic.

Only in the EU, though. Around the rest of the world, it’s still the same as it was.

 

[tyrnnsrs]

I honestly didn't even know or think about how my watch gets wifi credentials. It just feels like something we shouldn't need to think about because Apple just makes it work seemlessly.

What I do wonder though is what other watches would people want to even use with an iPhone? Would an Android watch even be that useful when paired with an iPhone compared to it being with an Android phone? I could see maybe a watch that's more fitness or health related being more useful.

 

[siddavis]

The funny thing is that you bash the EU, but it protects users' rights in many areas and also standardises useful things. If it weren't for the EU, there probably still wouldn't be USB C on the iPhone.

If they did still have lightning ports, you would have this insane thing called freedom to choose another option! Whacky, I know.

At some point it will result in Apple losing customers if they take this anti-consumer stance. Just let people have their mix of brands and services, instead of only offering this techno-autocracy.

What's that you say? Allowing consequences of the free market? That's crazy talk! More regulation, NOW!!

 

[Agent007]

Apple choosing to make their products worse out of spite rather than comply with the law? Someone on this forum told me they'd be out of their minds to do that!

 

[surferfb]

Apple choosing to make their products worse out of spite rather than comply with the law? Someone on this forum told me they'd be out of their minds to do that!

Again, you assume it is "for spite" when there is zero evidence it is. Apple has repeatedly stated why THIS CHANGE IN PARTICULAR is a privacy issue for Apple and used it as an example of the unintended consequences of the law.

 

[MilaM]

Again, you assume it is "for spite" when there is zero evidence it is. Apple has repeatedly stated why THIS CHANGE IN PARTICULAR is a privacy issue for Apple and used it as an example of the unintended consequences of the law.

I think there will be a technical solution very soon that works for everyone. Remember how quickly Apple found a way to bring Live Translation to EU customers? They need some time to engineer it of course. In the meantime the PR/Lobbying department will exploit it for their purposes.

 

[MilaM]

Sorry, double post.

 

[Kingcoherent]

Because the legislation sucks and is anti-privacy, anti-consumer. I applaud Apple for not bowing to the EU’s every demand.

These regulations aren’t promotedby consumers or consumer advocates. Instead, they are lobbied for by competitors and other corporations, like Meta and Epic Games, who pitch their own tantrums that they can’t invade the privacy of iPhone users or get free access to platforms Apple has spent billions on.

This is a classic case of baptists and bootleggers: astroturf movements claim to be fighting for some moral cause (the baptists), when really it’s driven by commercial interests (the bootleggers) who stand to benefit financially from regulator capture.

FU, EU.

Sorry, this is technically illiterate nonsense.

Come on. If a user buys a 3rd party device and syncs it to their phone, they certainly approve sharing the Wifi password. Why would they buy the device, if they didn't plan to connect it to the network? They would just enter it manually anyway, and that extra friction benefits Apple (a little bit).

In this case, the privacy angle is just propaganda. Wifi passwords are not monetizable data. Nobody is offering free services in exchange for a Wifi password. (But there's certainly other sharing features where I'd agree with it.)

Exactly, this.

Quite extraordinary how a small bit of consumer friendly regulation can bring out frothing idiocy from mac fanboys.

I would hope that the EU would give apple a huge fine, but i guess Tim Cook would just bung Trump another bribe.

It’s increasingly annoying to me how locked into apple ecosystem i am. There really are some superb things about the company and the products it makes. Apple silicon is a huge successand certainly gives them an edge. But the increasingly locked down nature of the OSs and the way Apple now treats any sort of non-American legislation as something to kick customers over (I'm in the uk btw, and don't even want an apple watch… but these sorts of actions leave an unpleasant taste).

fwiw i think the security of apple products is way overhyped. What you do get is a decent enough level of security with a hell of a lot of consumer convenience (for the most part) and a mostly not terrible UX (I'm looking at you Microsoft).

 

[MilaM]

fwiw i think the security of apple products is way overhyped. What you do get is a decent enough level of security with a hell of a lot of consumer convenience (for the most part) and a mostly not terrible UX (I'm looking at you Microsoft).

Exactly. Macs and iPhones are still the least bad out of all available options. But that also means, they can get away with a lot of terrible UX decisions, just because the competition is so terrible 🤣.

 

[deevey]

Wifi passwords are not monetizable data.

Passwords themselves, no. Analytics data about you based on previous wi-fi networks you visit certainly is.

 

[deevey]

How come when the EU asks something to Google, MS or Meta they mostly comply

Because their business models are literally based on using consumer analytics. Why would they not comply with rules that make it easier for them to continue doing that, even at the expense of allowing competition.

 

[deevey]

Yes, these are pro-competition regulations. They mean that you won't have to buy an Apple Watch for basic functionality, and instead will be able to chose from many many different electronic watch providers, some of which may be much better than Apple.

Funny, I've used smartwatches (no Apple watches) for a number of years and have never had an issue syncing basic, and no-so-basic functions to an iPhone.

What do you call basic?

 

[ProbablyDylan]

Again, you assume it is "for spite" when there is zero evidence it is. Apple has repeatedly stated why THIS CHANGE IN PARTICULAR is a privacy issue for Apple and used it as an example of the unintended consequences of the law.

We have to wonder why Apple has failed to come up with a technical solution to this that balances user privacy and compliance with the law. Even if that technical solution is a pop-up that says "hey, this thing wants all your wifi passwords for reasons, that cool?"

Apple already does this when apps want to detect bluetooth devices and local network devices. Even better would be if it presented options for which networks the user wants to share credentials for.

While we cannot know their true motivations, we can infer it from the choice they made. Instead of taking this opportunity to build a better experience, they chose to build an inferior one.

 

[FeliApple]

Literally that. I know that folks have an automatic anti-Apple bias, but they should think for a moment about what that means in this situation.

Anyone who’s read my posts knows that I criticise Apple when I think they deserve it.

I will defend them when it is warranted, too.

 

[mrochester]

We have to wonder why Apple has failed to come up with a technical solution to this that balances user privacy and compliance with the law. Even if that technical solution is a pop-up that says "hey, this thing wants all your wifi passwords for reasons, that cool?"

Apple already does this when apps want to detect bluetooth devices and local network devices. Even better would be if it presented options for which networks the user wants to share credentials for.

While we cannot know their true motivations, we can infer it from the choice they made. Instead of taking this opportunity to build a better experience, they chose to build an inferior one.

There is no solution that balances user privacy with compliance. Either third party watches have your WiFi credentials or don’t. And if Apple doesn’t think third party watches should have your WiFi credentials then to be compliant it means the Apple Watch also can’t have those WiFi credentials.

And letting third party watches have access to your WiFi credentials is a step too far for Apple in terms of invading their users privacy.

 

[bcortens]

There is no solution that balances user privacy with compliance. Either third party watches have your WiFi credentials or don’t. And if Apple doesn’t think third party watches should have your WiFi credentials then to be compliant it means the Apple Watch also can’t have those WiFi credentials.

And letting third party watches have access to your WiFi credentials is a step too far for Apple in terms of invading their users privacy.

Given the framework (Apple Developer WiFiInfrastructure) I don't believe that Apple actually has a problem with sharing your wifi credentials. So everyone in this thread claiming Apple is taking pains to protect our privacy and would never share your wifi info with a third party has jumped ahead of things a little bit. Likewise those worried that Apple isn't going to comply are also wrong (though they will probably be happy to be wrong).

I think the article might be click-bait-ish because it looks like Apple is going to comply with the EU requirements based on my reading of this new API...

If I had to guess, based on the article and this API, Apple is going to be complying by ensuring that the Apple Watch doesn't have a competitive edge by requiring that it also get explicit permission to share wifi credentials just like all other devices are going to have to do.

 

[I7guy]

[…]

Quite extraordinary how a small bit of consumer friendly regulation can bring out frothing idiocy from mac fanboys.

Yeah this topic causes all sides to froth at the month.

I would hope that the EU would give apple a huge fine, but i guess Tim Cook would just bung Trump another bribe.

Glad cook has that option.

It’s increasingly annoying to me how locked into apple ecosystem i am. There really are some superb things about the company and the products it makes. Apple silicon is a huge successand certainly gives them an edge. But the increasingly locked down nature of the OSs and the way Apple now treats any sort of non-American legislation as something to kick customers over (I'm in the uk btw, and don't even want an apple watch… but these sorts of actions leave an unpleasant taste).

Really? Locked how? What exactly do these new regulations change that make jumping to another platform easy. Or what would you change to make switching easy?

fwiw i think the security of apple products is way overhyped. What you do get is a decent enough level of security with a hell of a lot of consumer convenience (for the most part) and a mostly not terrible UX (I'm looking at you Microsoft).

People like Apple products enough to become repeat buyers to the tune of record breaking quarters.

 

[Selena Agna]

Malicious compliance as usual.

 

[surferfb]

If I had to guess, based on the article and this API, Apple is going to be complying by ensuring that the Apple Watch doesn't have a competitive edge by requiring that it also get explicit permission to share wifi credentials just like all other devices are going to have to do.

Hope this is correct given the options.

However, if you are correct, then I'd point out this is the EU mandating bad user experience that solves absolutely nothing.

Literally no one is buying/not buying devices because they do or don't have to approve giving wifi credentials. But now everyone who buys an Apple Watch in the EU is going to have a worse experience for some ridiculous display of fairness that actually doesn't do a single thing to improve competition.

It's classic EU regulation - make things worse for everyone while "solving" a problem that doesn't actually exist.

 

[MilaM]

Given the framework (Apple Developer WiFiInfrastructure) I don't believe that Apple actually has a problem with sharing your wifi credentials.

Interesting API and good catch! This would have been useful when I was setting up several security cameras around the house earlier this year. I had to type in my Wifi password for each device manually.

I hope though that it can also be used for one-time sharing.

Edit: Just read the description, and it seems that the framework is very comprehensive and covers a lot of use-cases. Strange why they only allow it in the EU for now. I think it's a genuinely useful addition to the app SDK.