Report: iPhone mirroring allegedly remains inactive in the EU
With updates expected in April, Apple intelligence is entering EU territory for the first time. But what about the iPhone remote control?
iPhone mirroring in action: a very useful feature.
(Image: Screencap aus einer Apple-Präsentation)
Anyone who has tried iPhone mirroring, also known as iPhone synchronization, will love the feature: It allows you to control an Apple phone almost completely from your Mac and also receive notifications on your desktop. This means you no longer have to reach for your iPhone when you are already at your computer and can work on apps and incoming notifications on one screen. The problem is that the feature is not yet available in the EU because Apple fears it could cause regulatory problems. As it now appears, this is unlikely to change with macOS 15.4 and iOS 18.4, which are due in April and will include Apple Intelligence in German for the first time. This is reported by the Apple blog 9to5Mac.
Afraid of the DMA?
iPhone mirroring will still not be released within the EU if you have the release candidate versions (RCs) of iOS 18.4 and macOS 15.4 on your devices. The RCs were released earlier this week and represent the (almost) finished new versions, only sometimes minor changes may still occur. It is unlikely that the final version for the public will enable iPhone remote control after all. Apple had already announced last summer at the launch of macOS 15 and iOS 18 that iPhone mirroring would not be available for now due to “regulatory uncertainties” – as well as other new features that affect the iPhone and Mac in combination, including remote maintenance via SharePlay.
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Apple is in a difficult situation within the EU. The Mac is not regulated, as Windows has a significantly larger market share. The iPhone, on the other hand, is subject to the regulations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Recently, the EU Commission began a kind of micromanagement of the platform and, among other things, obliged Apple to develop numerous new APIs and make them available to competitors free of charge. The company also seems to fear that iPhone mirroring, if it had to be released for other developers, would open up privacy gaps, as it involves complete remote control of an iPhone from a Mac.
Switzerland may join in
Apple has not yet provided any information as to why Apple Intelligence will be released in the EU, while iPhone mirroring and SharePlay remote maintenance will not. How the EU will regulate Apple Intelligence remains an open question.
However, users can also use the blocked features within the EU as long as their system is set to the English language version and an App Store ID from a country outside the EU – including Switzerland – is active. Such an ID can also be used in parallel with iCloud access. Similar tricks were previously possible with Apple Intelligence.
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