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

[Fuzzball84]

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

I think Apple are doing that themselves. How many forks of iOS are out there on all the devices with some aspected enabled disabled due to device class and model, SoC and RAM.

EU is just doing what it was set up to do. If you don’t live there, it’s none of your business. Unless you’re an Apple shareholder. And if you are, well different regions have different rules. Just go to China and see what there are too. Follow the rules or get out.

 

[9081094]

Does the EU allow other media companies access to Spotify’s algorithms?

Yes, it’s up to Spotify to allow extensions or ad ons. Same rules as for Apple Music or other streaming services.

EU wants a fair playing field for all.

We’re not putting tariffs on it 😂😂

 

[lenard]

They must be crazy, they run companies telling them what to build. Its a competitive market
each onto its own.

 

[9081094]

Some of these demands are borderline ridiculous. I mean, I'm all for open source progress, but let's hold these decisions up to the standards of other products. Is the EU going to force all PC and Android software companies to produce Apple compatible versions of all their products? Are they going to force car manufacturers to make all their parts interchangeable and compatible with each other? Are they going to force all refrigerators to offer ice machines?

You don’t understand the ruling. It’s all about a fair playing field for everyone.

Have a read:

The Digital Markets Act: ensuring fair and open digital markets

Discover how the Digital Markets Act ensures large online platforms in the EU behave fairly, and allows new players to enter the market, thus developing a fast evolving digital sector.

commission.europa.eu

 

[cloudyo]

Why doesn't Apple just exit the market there? And call their bluff.

because EU is like the second biggest market for Apple.

 

[SWC]

You should read it right.
The EU is not demanding that Apple disclose its programming or develop it for competitors. The EU only demands that Apple allow competitors to develop.


A thought experiment:
What if the competitors were to prove that AirDrop and AirPlay could work much more reliably if Apple invested just a little time? What if a competing version of the notifications on the Watch showed everything the device can do?
What if Apple products became as good as Apple has been promising for years but not delivering?

Feelings on these required changes aside (which I think are generally a good thing but heavy handed), if I have to develop platforms that only serve to allow competitors to build on that does not exist today that is exactly me being forced to "develop it for competitors".

Sure the competitor still has some work to do but me building sub systems for you to to develop another chromecast or airdrop is of no value to me as the platform provider and costs me time and money to develop, maintain and provide support for that could otherwise be devoted to other features that they seem to already be struggling to deliver on lately.

 

[flexwithmarius]

Apple’s argument that this is stifling innovation is just BS. They will be forced to make their products more attractive so people still buy them instead of competing brands.

As always this last decade… Apple wants to rule out competition because that would hurt their sales 💰💰💰

No one is forced to use other brands, but at least you will be able to choose out of free will.

👍🏻

“Free will” has shown that people are just fine with the current integration across devices. Those who can’t stand the walled garden have undoubtedly switched unless they’re drunk on hopium to see Apple actually implement the EU’s changes.

I don’t know why you stubborn people can’t get it thru your heads that ripping apart the OS to make it work with every trinket and technology is a horrible idea and will cause problems with what already works. “Trying it out to see what happens” is a lame and naive excuse to change the fundamental core of the OS.

But no, we gotta go the FAFO route and do it the hard way because bureaucracy and people can’t stand to leave well enough alone.

 

[neuropsychguy]

What is so bad for YOU AS A USER if the EU forces Apple to compete AND YOU ultimately get better products?

You presuppose that the end results are better products. What if they are worse than they otherwise would have been?

Note that I'm not saying they will be worse, I'm just asking you to consider that the end result might be worse products than they otherwise would be. I'm willing to consider that they might be better products, but we cannot assume they will be better because of the EU's actions. That's the logical fallacy of begging the question.

Also, what happens if Apple decides the costs of remaining in the EU are not worth it? That's not likely, but it is possible. In that case, EU users would have less competition and be left with Android.

 

[9081094]

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.

You don’t understand the rulings. Apple behaves like they just fall from the sky while in reality they knew for years those rulings were coming. It’s Apple who’s gaslighting not the EU.

And for everyone who wants to know what these rulings are about? Have a read to see that they are fair and transparent for everyone:

The Digital Markets Act: ensuring fair and open digital markets

Discover how the Digital Markets Act ensures large online platforms in the EU behave fairly, and allows new players to enter the market, thus developing a fast evolving digital sector.

commission.europa.eu

 

[EM2013]

“Must”

lol sounds likes dictatorship

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Seems like a good set of changes. Would have just been better if Apple made these decisions on their own. But nope, the walled garden is more important than the user experience.

Better explained: Security is more important than the user experience, which currently is not bad at all. It's actually great!
If you want "freedom", get Android devices. And enjoy all the freedom they give you: Free Ads, junk apps, no security, Need to run Antivirus, Firewall and more to get protected, etc.

 

[richard4339]

Out of curiosity, could Apple just stop updating their software in the EU and get around this? Or would they have to pull hardware sales too?

 

[robvalentine]

Why are people so anti apple being forced to make their products better? Nothing is stopping you from only buying apple. Heck it might even tempt me back from android if my accessories can work properly.

 

[jarman92]

One of the requirement is “All features on Apple will have to make available to third parties any new functionalities of the listed features once they become available to Apple.”

This is indisputably the EU declaring that Apple can no longer differentiate its products; it must commodify the iPhone. Just utterly insane. If it stands, I don’t see how Apple can possibly remain in the EU.

 

[Ronald Reagan]

Just pull out of the European market altogether or make an ePhone and let the rest of the world get the iPhone Apple wants to build. Let the market decide for itself what it wants. Buy an Android if you like. There are plenty to choose from.

If the EU has so many grand and novel ideas, they should market their own phone, designed from the ground up, OS and all. Give everyone a choice. Let’s see how that goes.

 

[segfaultdotorg]

It's time for Tim Apple to show real leadership and discontinue sales in the EU until this tyranny stops.

 

[contacos]

This seems like a lot of work for nothing considering most / all companies are not even going to bother to implement anything on their own because they probably already realized it's just cheaper to stick to whatever tools Apple provides already.

Have you seen a single non web kit browser on iOS in the first year of DMA? NOPE!

A lot of drama over nothing

 

[maxfromdenmark]

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.

of course if you don't mind paying 25% VAT like all Danes pay for everything we buy in our shops then it doesn't bother me ☺️

 

[jarman92]

Why are people so anti apple being forced to make their products better? Nothing is stopping you from only buying apple. Heck it might even tempt me back from android if my accessories can work properly.

Because a lot of these requirements do nothing to make Apple products better, they serve only to make other (i.e. European) products better. It’s blatant protectionism at the expense of Apple users.

 

[jarman92]

Apple’s argument that this is stifling innovation is just BS. They will be forced to make their products more attractive so people still buy them instead of competing brands.

As always this last decade… Apple wants to rule out competition because that would hurt their sales 💰💰💰

No one is forced to use other brands, but at least you will be able to choose out of free will.

👍🏻

Why would Apple bother investing time and money into making their products better, when they’ll just be forced to immediately give those innovations away, for free, to competitors?

 

[dfgddikf]

Very pro-consumer changes. I certainly welcome them.

 

[latweek]

It's simple guys..repeat after me.

Apple Benefits - it's innovation.
Apple Disagrees - It' stifling.

Best,

- Tim

 

[Crow_Servo]

Hey, EU, can you force Valve to bring Counter Strike 2 back to the Mac please? Thanks.

 

[JohnRckr]

God bless EU.
Though by iOS 20 I am long gone from Apple ecosystem so idc.

 

[commander.data]

We will be publishing an in-depth overview of all of the requirements, but in the meantime we have highlighted some key items below.

• Third-party smartwatches must be able to display and interact with iOS notifications by the end of 2025, which likely means iOS 19.2 or earlier.
• Apple must make its automatic audio switching feature available to third-party headphones by June 1, 2026, which likely means iOS 19.4 or earlier. This is the feature that allows most AirPods and select Beats to automatically switch connection between Apple devices, such as a Mac and an iPhone.
• Apple must make changes to iOS that allow for third parties to offer equivalent AirDrop alternatives by June 1, 2026.
  Apple must make changes to iOS that allow for third parties to offer equivalent AirPlay alternatives by iOS 20, or the end of 2026. iOS 20 is expected to be released to the general public in September 2026.

These features all seem to involve not just software but hardware and wireless communications. Features like improved AirPods pairing, AirDrop, and AirPlay involve Apple investing their own R&D to provide a better experience layered on top of standard wireless protocols like WiFi and Bluetooth. The EU is now trying to force Apple to make that R&D freely available for any third-party company.

Now that Apple makes all their own wireless chips (WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular, etc), Apple's best course of action is to stop trying to implement all these features like improved AirPods pairing, AirDrop, AirPlay over standard WiFi or Bluetooth, but instead implement them using their own proprietary wireless protocols (ie. not standard WiFi or Bluetooth) enabled by deep hardware integration in their own custom wireless chips. Customers in the Apple ecosystem will benefit because using custom, proprietary wireless protocols and hardware can allow Apple to optimize performance and power consumption for each feature's specific use case. Apple will of course still fully support standard WiFi and Bluetooth to support third-party accessories but the EU can no longer try to force Apple to basically spend their R&D to subsidize the improvement of the WiFi and Bluetooth standards for third-parties for free, because things like improved AirPods pairing, AirDrop, and AirPlay will no longer simply be a software feature through an API, but requires custom Apple chips and hardware.