Apple refers to new rules: no Apple Intelligence for EU iPhones for now
Important iOS 18 functions could be missing on iPhones in the EU this fall, including Apple Intelligence. According to Apple, the DMA is causing uncertainty.
Key components of iOS 18 will probably not be coming to the EU – at least for the moment. Due to "regulatory uncertainties" caused by the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the company assumes that it will no longer be able to introduce certain functions for customers in Germany and other EU member states this year, as Apple surprisingly announced in a statement on Friday evening. The affected functions include the recently announced AI package "Apple Intelligence" as well as iPhone mirroring on Macs and significant improvements to remote maintenance via SharePlay.
Apple refers to the interoperability requirements for gatekeepers set out in the Digital Markets Act. The company is concerned that this "compromises the integrity of the products" and undermines data protection and security. No details were given. However, Apple wants to try to find a solution together with the EU Commission in order to bring the functions to the EU after all, the company also emphasized.
Other iOS 18 functions affected
Although only iOS and iPadOS have so far been classified as gatekeepers under the DMA and must therefore comply with the new regulations, the new iPhone mirroring technology also affects MacOS, according to Apple. The function mirrors the iPhone screen live on the Mac and allows the smartphone to be used from a laptop or desktop.
The improvements to screen sharing are also affected. With iOS 18, users can remotely control another user's shared device for the first time - similar to remote maintenance software - and also draw on their screen to draw attention to a function, for example. This will also not be available in the EU for the time being.
EU likely to lodge complaints against Apple soon
The EU is likely to lodge its first complaints against Apple in the near future, accusing the company of violating the Digital Markets Act. EU Competition Commissioner Vestager recently spoke of "very serious" problems with Apple's DMA compliance. Although the company opened up the iPhone to alternative app stores and sideloading in the spring, it attached a number of difficult-to-fulfil conditions and a new fee model. In spring, Apple briefly claimed that the DMA would force the company to remove support for web apps from iOS. However, following massive criticism, the company backed down.
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