Under the DMA, the EU wants Apple to make a lot of functionality in iOS accessible to third parties. In a preliminary overview, the union details those demands referring to specific features. Apple is not enthusiastic.
The European Union wants Apple to open up iOS and the iPhone to third parties. This is required under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Apple has a gatekeeper role under those new regulations. That is, the company’s solutions are so ubiquitous that Apple cannot abuse its dominant position. The DMA requires openness and interoperability from gatekeepers in order to weaken technology monopolies.
The EU previously launched several proceedings to determine the extent to which Apple was acting in compliance with the DMA, and formally declared the company in default over the summer. Now the union is sharing a list of features in iOS that are currently restricted but Apple must open up. These are functionality that Apple has closed off, creating an embedded ecosystem. In all, the committee sees eleven items that need adjustments, spread across four areas.
Functionalities for interactivity
iOS notifications:
- Third parties should have access to iOS notifications, including full metadata. This includes notifications on Apple devices such as Apple Watch.
- Users should be able to manage and respond to notifications on non-Apple devices.
Backdrop:
- Third parties get the same background capabilities as Apple, such as scanning to devices via Bluetooth and network access.
- Restrictions should be the same as for Apple devices.
Automatic audio transmission:
- Third parties gain access to data and protocols Apple uses to switch audio between devices, such as during a call or media streaming.
Data transfer functionalities
Peer-to-peer Wi-Fi:
- Apple needs to give third parties access to fast, direct Wi-Fi connections without intermediate infrastructure.
AirDrop:
- Non-Apple devices must be able to function as AirDrop devices, including discovering, sending and receiving files.
Media casting (AirPlay):
- Third parties should have access to AirPlay functionality, such as media casting between devices, while maintaining the same quality.
Close-range file transfer:
- Third parties may use communication protocols such as Bluetooth and NFC for file transfer, with the same accessibility as Apple’s solutions.
Device setup and configuration functionalities
Proximity pairing:
- Third parties will have access to simple device pairing, similar to how Apple configures AirPods or Apple Watch.
Automatic Wi-Fi connection:
- Third parties can access stored Wi-Fi network data on iOS devices to connect without additional user interaction.
NFC functionality in Reader/Writer mode:
- Apple must provide full access to NFC functionality, including payments and smart card interactions.
General measures
Measures for all functions:
- Equality: Interoperability should be as effective as for Apple devices.
- Accessibility: Apple may not impose technical, contractual or commercial restrictions.
- User experience: Third parties should not experience additional friction, such as multiple permission prompts or complicated settings.
- Cost: Admission should be free, with no direct or indirect costs.
- Transparency: Apple must provide detailed technical documentation and support.
These demands are separate from other ways Apple is sinning against the DMA. For example, the EU considers the company’ s closed App Store policy to be non-compliant.
Open ecosystem
The whole set of demands can be summarized as follows: the EU wants Apple to open up its ecosystem to third parties so that Apple devices can function with non-Apple peripherals. For example, anyone with an iPhone should be able to buy another brand’s smartwatch without having its functionality artificially constrained by Apple itself. Nor should Apple restrict data sharing, the ability to cast media and other things.
The EU does not require Apple to proactively provide integrations with third-party solutions. However, users should be given the opportunity to decide for themselves to trust third parties on their devices without being punished with poor functionality. That should boost competition around the iPhone.
Panic-mongering from Apple
Apple, for its part, is no fan, but has few arguments on the merits. The company draws the privacy card, but does not do so in good faith. For example, Apple claims that it guards users’ privacy, and that that privacy would be up for grabs if it followed the DMA rules. It is referring to all the access Meta wants for its apps within iOS. Apple is successfully blocking that access today. With EU rules, that’s no longer allowed.
That misses the point. Apple should not give Meta access to all devices, it should allow users to choose for themselves that they want to give Meta that access. Apple is positioning itself as the only party in the world capable of taking responsibility regarding privacy, while users are sheep who don’t get to decide for themselves.
read also
Apple must open ecosystem to third parties: EU lists requirements
Apple further paints a frightfull picture of a situation where companies would use interoperability as a weapon. Again, that ignores the fact that a simple menu to manage access, as in Android, solves all those problems.
Apple is a real estate agent who sells you a house, but keeps the key to the front door. Instead, the realtor takes a seat in front of that door as a doorman, with total control over who is allowed in. Where you to get the key, you would immediately open the door for all the criminals in the neighbourhood, Apple says.
All for the money (under the guise of privacy)
When it comes to weaponizing access, Apple had better look in the mirror. The EU had to force USB-C down the company’s throat. Apple wanted to stick with Lightning, which was technically inferior but for which Apple could charge licensing fees to manufacturers.
Let’s be clear: Apple does not fear that Meta will steal users’ data and it is the only party in the world that can act against it, Apple fears that you will buy a Samsung smartwatch instead of an Apple Watch, that friends and colleagues won’t need an iPhone to Airdrop, and that your next computer doesn’t have to be a Mac because you are stuck in the ecosystem.
Now what?
The EU’s requirements are not final. The union is open to feedback, both from third parties and Apple itself. Apple does intend to work with the list, and then report back to the commission on the steps taken. The U.S. company will most likely do as little as possible and wait as long as possible, in an effort to keep its own ecosystem as closed as possible.