Apple is forced to open its ecosystem in Europe

Apple is subject to increased monitoring under the European Union's Digital Markets Act. Cupertino will have to offer extensive instructions for achieving interoperability, including access to iOS notifications and alternatives to AirDrop and AirPlay.

Future iOS devices must have complete access to the iOS notification system, background execution rights, and system feature access. Currently, these features are limited to Apple goods like as AirPods and Apple Watches, but they should be made available to third-party manufacturers.

Headphone producers want access to system features like proximity auto-pairing and automatic audio switching. Additionally, additional devices should be able to use functionality similar to AirDrop and AirPlay.

The requirements also included automatically allowing access to Wi-Fi network information, enabling the NFC chip to save customer payment card information, and enabling high-bandwidth peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connectivity.

All of the features described above must be available for free on all linked devices. The European Union has demanded that frameworks and APIs be available to third-party companies concurrently with their release on Apple devices; they cannot be released at a later date.

The schedule for adopting all measures suggests that they will enter beta by the end of the year, with a full implementation in 2026. It appears that the majority of functionality will be available on iOS 19, but just for European Union customers.

Apple argued that the verdicts "slow down Apple's ability to innovate" and that the EU forces Cupertino to provide free new features to competitors who do not have to follow the same standards.

The company claimed that the DMA is unfairly targeting it, allowing others to "freely leech off of it" - a strong assertion from a corporation that restricts fundamental features, charges for what others provide for free, and prevents third-party developments unless it receives a piece.