In the EU: Apple must open up further functions with iOS 19 and iOS 20
The EU Commission is now dictating in detail how iOS 19 and iOS 20 must interact with hardware from other manufacturers. Apple warns of the consequences.
(Image: Sebastian Trepesch)
Smartwatches, GPS watches, headphones and mixed reality headsets: iPhones will have to better support such hardware in future, even if these devices do not display the Apple logo. Apple must create specific interfaces for this in iOS 19 and iOS 20 in accordance with new requirements from the EU Commission. Functions that were previously reserved for Apple's own devices such as watches, AirPods and Vision Pros are now open to other companies for the first time. This is dictated by the new interoperability requirements that the EU Commission issued specifically for Apple on Wednesday.
EU functions prescribed for iOS 19 and iOS 20
The timetable is quite ambitious: Apple must already implement many interfaces relating to interactivity, data transfer and device setup in iOS 19 –, in some cases by the end of the current year. Specifically, this means that other smartwatches will be able to receive incoming messages on the iPhone and reply to them.
In addition, companion apps from other manufacturers will be allowed to run in the background on the iPhone for longer, for example to retrieve current data and transfer it to the accessory. Apple must also enable direct Wi-Fi connections, as well as the convenient transfer of Wi-Fi passwords. Setting up such "third-party" accessories should also be as convenient as users are used to with Apple devices.
In the area of media casting – the streaming of content from one device to another – Apple must ensure better interoperability on iPhones, as well as the exchange of payment information via NFC. The convenient audio switching between devices familiar from AirPods will therefore obviously also be available to other headphone manufacturers in future.
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Apple has to create well-documented frameworks and interfaces for all of this – - free of charge, mind you. Only then will Apple fulfill its far-reaching interoperability obligations that the Digital Markets Act (DMA) imposes on gatekeepers in the EU, as the EU Commission emphasized. Possible violations of the DMA are not the subject of such specification proceedings, and accordingly no penalty will be imposed. Apple will not have to open up the AirDrop and AirPlay protocols that the EU originally had in its crosshairs. However, Apple should ensure greater transparency in future about the interoperability requests that are now possible for other manufacturers.
Apple warns against forced opening
On Wednesday, Apple once again warned emphatically against enforced interoperability. It would lead to new security and data protection problems. An app could, for example, view all incoming messages on the iPhone and misuse them for other purposes, the company cited as an example. However, users must first give an app permission before it can see the messages of other apps.
"Today's decisions tie us up in red tape and slow down Apple's innovation for users in Europe. They force us to give away new features for free to companies that don't have to abide by the same rules. This is bad for our products and for our European users", Apple emphasized in a statement – but will continue to work with the Commission. This also makes it more difficult for Apple to introduce new products and functions in Europe.
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