iOS 19 and iOS 20 Must Include a Long List of Major Changes, EU Says

[Oscar_440]

The hell EU?? Why didn't you require Apple Intelligence

It looks like the European Union is slowly dismantling iOS. I hope that Apple fights back and defend their IP.

How adding the possibility of get notifications or having the same features of airpods with any other nonApple device is dismantling iOS? Is that bad?. I think all this stuff may be better for users...

 

[JamieLannister]

It’s also common in the carworld already. Your window shield is broken? You can get a new one from Mercedes for $ 5999 or another one from brandname X for $ 2999. They’re both the same quality. You choose 😊

Also reminds me of the right to repair…

A window is not the same as some proprietary chipset from Apple.

 

[justperry]

For all those US commenters, stop bashing the EU, you’ve got your own BIG problems.
The EU has its quirks but they at least try to protect the consumers.
Those not located in the EU or Europe as a whole will not understand the laws made here, nor do they understand big companies abuse of power.

 

[9081094]

sorry I gotta side with apple - they are a business for profits. Their marketing is just bar none as you can see with the way they price their products to upsell you. but I have no gripes. Too bad there is no other maker that does things so cohesively like Apple products. It's not stifling competition others just can't compete because their products just suck. And yes I've defected apple gone to the other side and back again. So I'm speaking from lots of $$$ experience wasted.

I’m sorry to hear you had a bad experience and I would certainly react the same as you do. For me it’s a question of value for money. If the value isn’t there, than it’s a waste of money.

But like the 16e compared to the pixel 9a. There is definitely a big gap in value for money. I’ve also played a lot with the latest Android and it’s years ahead of iOS.

 

[dominiongamma]

Apple is turning into Android more and more thanks to the EU

 

[skottichan]

Apple have a monopoly. They are a Digital Gateway

Are they using their monopoly on iOS and iPhone to get an unfair advantage in the Bluetooth headphone market?

Yes

This is not good enough. Monopolies are bad for consumers.

I'm genuinely curious on this one, what monopoly does Apple actually have?

The Android is the majority of smartphones in nearly all markets, so not smartphones.
Macs are not even remotely the monopoly in the PC market.


iOS and MacOS aren't in monopolistic positions in any categories.

The only argument is that iOS has an unfair monopoly on iPhones. Which is kind of absurd, as it's the software made specifically for the hardware. That would be akin to claiming that Nintendo has an unfair monopoly because I can't legally play Fire Emblem on my PS5 or iPhone.

Honestly, this all feels like that meme of Obama giving Obama an award. Of course the EU sides with itself when appeals are heard.

 

[anthonymoody]

Hey EU can you add a requirement that they make iCloud apps for Android while you're at it pls?

 

[JamieLannister]

I’m sorry to hear you had a bad experience and I would certainly react the same as you do. For me it’s a question of value for money. If the value isn’t there, than it’s a waste of money.

But like the 16e compared to the pixel 9a. There is definitely a big gap in value for money. I’ve also played a lot with the latest Android and it’s years ahead of iOS.

Trust me when I say that there are way better options and features on Chinese branded devices too. But I still come back to apple because of how everything works together. And I'm wiling to pay for it. If others can't afford it then that's too bad. Apple is far from perfect but you're not going to find another company that makes products that all work together so well. I still run an iPhone 11 Pro Max and I'm buying another iPhone until something worthwhile to me is released.

 

[9081094]

A window is not the same as some proprietary chipset from Apple.

The EU isn’t forcing Apple to let others use their chipsets. They’re only demanding Apple to open up their API’s so other vendors aren’t handicapped. That’s good for innovation and not stifling it like Apple pretends.

 

[GMShadow]

Trade war it is.

These demands are theft, plain and simple. This isn't about making things better for people, it's about Europe's tech sector being a complete basketcase because competent companies leave the EU so they actually have a chance, and rather than change the eleven billion EU regulations that have strangled any possibility of competitiveness out of their economy, they're just resorting to theft writ large.

Every EU commissioner should also be on an interdict list prohibiting their travel to the United States.

 

[ashdelacroix]

The fact is that Apple has the means to make its features interoperable but has decided not to do so in order to create an ecosystem that isn't just safer, as Apple would claim, but vastly more profitable by introducing points of lock-in. Apple was always treading a fine line here and has created a complex legacy for itself. It should always have permitted other audio devices to have the smooth switching enjoyed by its own native products via an API. I doubt this would have hurt the sales of AirPods. But by introducing lock-ins, Apple is now inviting greater scrutiny, even into its algorithms. It only has itself to blame. Long after Apple created a platform that would be attractive for decades to come, it could not resist building the walls of the walled garden higher and higher... Greed, people, greed. Or, to use the phrase that Apple executives prefer, based on quotes from legal filings, "let's not leave money on the table".

 

[jz0309]

It’s also common in the carworld already. Your window shield is broken? You can get a new one from Mercedes for $ 5999 or another one from brandname X for $ 2999. They’re both the same quality. You choose 😊

Also reminds me of the right to repair…

The appropriate comparison in the car world would be: get your driver assistance package from Mercedes or a 3rd party…
But that will never happen, not even in the EU

 

[JamieLannister]

The EU isn’t forcing Apple to let others use their chipsets. They’re only demanding Apple to open up their API’s so other vendors aren’t handicapped. That’s good for innovation and not stifling it like Apple pretends.

well too bad! From the hardware to the software it's all designed and tightly integrated by apple engineers. You want access you buy an apple product. If I were apple, I'd protect my brand to death. There's options out there that feature more than what apple provides so let them go buy those products.

 

[gwang73]

This is why people in the EU can't have nice things. When you all start bitching about why Apple isn't giving you features, remember that these are the people you voted for.

 

[Siliconguy]

So, do you wish to pay more for European stuff in the US shops or how do you expect tariffs to work?

From the standpoint of imports the VAT that European countries charge is equivalent to a tariff. So the US should have had tariffs equal to VAT rates for a long time.

 

[midkay]

This is ridiculous. Basic 3rd-party smartwatch functionality is a reasonable enough request, but the rest is patently insane. EU are coming off as absolute needy control freaks who will stop at nothing. Apple should pull the plug on this whole thing before it gets even more insane (and you know it will).

 

[gigapocket1]

Only thing I wish they would force is that you don't have to backup your phone to iCloud lol.. Save me some money there..
Otherwise, this is a waste...

 

[StuBeck]

How would they do automatic third party audio switching without the h1 and h2 chip?

Its about letting Apple audio products with audio switching work with other bluetooth devices automatically.

To answer your question, its not a unique feature anyway, other devices have this too, without the properitery Apple chips. My Bose headphones switch between devices for example.

 

[azentropy]

Over regulation like this typically spawns backlash.... Just saying...

 

[Mr. Heckles]

I would laugh if Apple removed Air Drop and others out of spite.

 

[9081094]

Hey EU can you add a requirement that they make iCloud apps for Android while you're at it pls?

Apple can make them if they want. It’s all up to Apple to do so. Android’s API’s are open to everyone while Apple keeps them closed so, as an example, galaxy watches or pixel watches can’t communicate as an Apple Watch with your iPhone. It’s deliberate crippling that option so only Apple Watch works well with your iPhone or Mac.

It’s up to Apple if they make the Apple Watch able to communicate with an S25 or Pixel. No one is stopping Apple not doing so.

 

[Starfia]

The European Commission today announced a long list of changes that Apple is legally required to implement in future iOS 19 and iOS 20 updates.

Please clarify this reporting: you link to a "specification decision," but it seems the document characterizes a specification decision as dialogue-driven guidance for complying with the DMA; not as a list of formal legal requirements. That is, it seems to give example changes but leaves potentially satisfactory alternative changes open. (That might be insinuation – a veiled version of what the EU does intend to require legally – but that's not what you're claiming.)

 

[Octavius8]

And allow NFC usage for ID cards, at least!!!!
Apple can’t be allowed to charge for allowing users ( or even totally closing) the use the phone we paid for with other developers apps!!!!. Why can’t we have NFC?, AirDrop in 3rd party apps?, other dial pads. Etc.?. Security?, nop. Greed!!!

 

[mansplains]

Isn’t the airpod/beats auto-switch powered by apple-designed chips in the devices, not simply a software trick?

 

[Siliconguy]

As for "equivalent alternatives" (like for AirDrop), if the end goal is interoperability, again others should be able to license and use via API. Not sure demanding "alternatives" makes sense.

Warpinator (Linux sort of equivalent for Airdrop) for the Mac using the actual Airdrop API would be interesting.