Apple Will Delay Bringing New Features to Users in the EU

[MacRumors]

Apple will delay bringing some features to users in the European Union because regulations are making it increasingly difficult for it to do so, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Speaking at a workshop with EU officials and developers in Brussels earlier today, Apple's vice president of legal, Kyle Andeer, said, "We've already had to make the decision to delay the release of products and features, we announced this month for our EU customers." Users' security could be compromised if the company is obliged to open up its ecosystem to competitors, he added.

Tools such as "visited places" in the Maps app will not be available in the EU when iOS 26 is released later this year. Apple said it is still determining which features may not be available in the EU, and is working to find solutions to deliver them as swiftly as possible.

Apple has to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is designed to curb the market power so-called "gatekeeper" technology companies by opening up their platforms. Apple profusely disagrees with the implementation of the DMA and argues that it degrades the quality of its products, exposes users to security and privacy risks, and makes rolling out updates in the EU more complicated.

Andeer said that the changes Apple has had to make to bring its products into compliance with the rules "create real privacy, security, safety risks to our users." An EU official present at the meeting apparently said the regulator and Apple disagree on the reach of the DMA and potential security risks.

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 Will Delay Bringing New Features to Users in the EU

 

[TigerNike23]

I agree with Apple on this one. The way the penalties are laid out they’d have to be extra careful not to run afoul and even then might still get fined.

There needs to be some revision to the law, where the EU can have open markets and Apple be able to fully release new features.

 

[SidricTheViking]

It’s a pity but understandable. I always look forward to new features arriving each Autumn (or Spring!). It looks at though I’ll have to sit tight until 2026…at the earliest.
😎🇮🇪☘️

 

[System603]

In short, everything stays exactly the same, this is how they run things in Europe and many other places all over the world. Only now they also found a convenient shield to hide behind, even if the EU does genuinely create hurdles for them at times, I'll give them that and I'm also glad.

Disclaimer: I tried, but the dates may not be accurate. They cover only portions of the EU. Many other countries worldwide are still waiting.

• Apple Pay: US 2014 - wider EU rollout 2019
• Apple Care+: US 2011? - not available in most of EU
• iPhone Upgrade Program/trade-in: US 2016? - EU TBD
• Apple News+: US 2019 - EU TBD
• Apple Sports: US 2024 - EU TBD
• Apple Cash: US 2017 - EU TBD
• Apple Fitness+: US 2020 - wider EU release year later (still not available in many countries even just in English/other major languages)
• Apple Intelligence: US 2024 - EU 2025, this one I partially get. They have to provide EU citizens with privacy assurances or face stiff fines for misuse of users' data

Feel free to correct me on the dates, not just downvote please. I'll be glad to fix them.

But I'll rather wait for fully-baked, fully-secured features and services with proper privacy accommodations and data stored locally (both on-device or region-wise) than to have them on day 1.

 

[TechWhisperer]

No one in Europe actually likes the EU. The smaller countries need it to compete globally, but that’s about survival, not affection. The foundational ideas were solid, a shared currency, open borders, economic cooperation. But Brussels has become power-hungry and completely out of touch. The patronizing EU now micromanages everything down to how loud your vacuum cleaner can be. It’s absurd.

 

[Madhatter32]

This is why the Europeans cannot have nice things.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

Well color us suprised that Apple and EU disagree on the reach and security potential for the DMA 😂

 

[jdavid_rp]

I just want iOS26 for AutoMix and the new design, so I’m quite fine. I don’t understand why would be the issue with visited places when google maps has this feature just using background location so third devs can already implement this

 

[surferfb]

An EU official present at the meeting apparently said the regulator and Apple disagree on the reach of the DMA and potential security risks.

Who do we think is more likely to be right? Apple? Or the regulator who thought mandating Microsoft give kernel access to third parties was a good idea, gave us a plague of cookie pop-ups, and wanted to mandate all phones use Micro-USB to charge?

 

[vertsix]

This is simply Apple trying to strong arm the EU to have their way by pissing off EU customers. Only those who take things at face value will fall for it.

 

[jdavid_rp]

This is why the Europeans cannot have nice things.

Well, it’s a balance. In one side we got apple to use the same charging port for all their devices finally but for other we can’t use a maps feature 😂

 

[timber]

Do they mean they will do what they have always done?

These announcements only sound impactful in the USA where every feature always shows up in the first day.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

Who do we think is more likely to be right? Apple? Or the regulator who thought mandating Microsoft give kernel access to third parties was a good idea, gave us a plague of cookie pop-ups, and wanted to mandate all phones use Micro-USB to charge?

Blame the legal system for enforcing the legal system….

All companies being lazy and incompetent for no reason outside they didn’t get told what to is quite funny.

 

[User 6502]

It’s a pity but understandable. I always look forward to new features arriving each Autumn (or Spring!). It looks at though I’ll have to sit tight until 2026…at the earliest.
😎🇮🇪☘️

No worries, pretty much everybody will have to wait anyway, as Apple only releases a fraction of the promised features at launch, and the rest is drip fed over the course of the following months and year (or years in some cases, like the recent AI debacle)

 

[d686546s]

Who do we think is more likely to be right? Apple? Or the regulator who thought mandating Microsoft give kernel access to third parties was a good idea, gave us a plague of cookie pop-ups, and wanted to mandate all phones use Micro-USB to charge?

Neither. I think it's just as likely that Apple uses 'privacy and security' as a convenient excuse to justify not introducing features to blame regulation that affects its bottom line, as it is that there are genuine concerns and unintended consequences, because nothing ever is perfect.

It's not like Apple has always brought the whole suit of features to any place that isn't the US anyway.

 

[timmodugdale]

Doing this will put pressure back on those creating these policies. Apple is smart to do this.

 

[Taipan]

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Even as a someone living in the EU myself, I wish they would go all the way and scratch the features altogether over here.

 

[votdfak]

No one in Europe actually likes the EU. The smaller countries need it to compete globally, but that’s about survival, not affection. The foundational ideas were solid, a shared currency, open borders, economic cooperation. But Brussels has become power-hungry and completely out of touch. The patronizing EU now micromanages everything down to how loud your vacuum cleaner can be. It’s absurd.

That's BS. EU is the best project on European soil after WW2.

 

[berrymetal]

Welp, thank god for Brexit? for once

 

[turbineseaplane]

No one in Europe actually likes the EU.

C'mon - You can't really believe that.

NO ONE?

 

[segfaultdotorg]

Further crippling their phones will show those Lightning port murdering tyrants that Apple means business.

 

[spazzcat]

Well color us suprised that Apple and EU disagree on the reach and security potential for the DMA 😂

Look at this way, you have a company that has a very large staff that is technology base or government of bureaucrats which one do you think knows more about technology and security?

 

[jarman92]

So they'll just reinterpret the DMA to require Apple to maintain feature parity between the EU and the rest of the world. Mark my words, that's next.

 

[spazzcat]

Neither. I think it's just as likely that Apple uses 'privacy and security' as a convenient excuse to justify not introducing features to blame regulation that affects its bottom line, as it is that there are genuine concerns and unintended consequences, because nothing ever is perfect.

It's not like Apple has always brought the whole suit of features to any place that isn't the US anyway.

Expect the features they are talking about they do deliver to the US and other countries.

 

[MilaM]

The situation must be really dire at Apple, if they don't have the resources to make a simple Maps feature compliant with EU law. Should we be worried?

Unless they only did it out of spite, then it would make more sense.