It is not necessarily the place or time to resume the confrontation in which the European Union and Apple participate. But it is clear that in the periods of the Apple Park, the subject is in all minds. It should be said that the WWDC 25 Conference of the developers, with the ads of their novelties that will cheer the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV, also leaves doubts about what will be possible to have or not in the old continent. To the goodwill or not of the European body.
Because between Apple and the Commission, it is a deaf discussion that has been held for months. As the implementation of the DMA (Digital Markets Law) in March 2024, a text aimed at regulating anti -Competitive behavior of digital giants and leaving access to functions or data to third players. A decision that Apple estimates to have possible consequences on its products, especially on the iPhone and its users. But it is especially interoperability, which Europe wants to impose on the company, which is perceived as a frontal attack against security, confidentiality, the flagship values of the brand, but also against its innovation model.
Because the new EU battle horse is to force Apple to make its new characteristics compatible with competitors and their services. To leave other manufacturers in a way, but also platforms such as goal or Google, request access to confidential and personal data, connection or other information. Applications to connect the history to Wi -Fi networks, the email notification content or the messages have already been made.
Give free access to confidential data
On Apple’s side, it is often remembered that the company itself does not have access to this personal figure on user devices. Therefore, it demands the exchange of ultra sensitive data, it is concerned with seeing this transforming into the risk of massive and surprising surveillance from an authority concerned with data protection such as Europe. But also that, limited by interoperability, the AirPods, with the innovative Bluetooth connection system, could not have emerged at that time if all its owner technologies had to be shared upstream.
However, after a discreet negotiation time, we have not hesitated for some time to give voice to the apple side, react and reach the niche to defend their position against what one considers an unfair attack. It should be said that the Cupertino giant is currently the only one to clean European anger. And not stop remembering that Android has most operating systems in the global telephony market and that Samsung is the leader of the real world.
However, this does not slow down the will of the commission to make Apple bend with new measures to constantly take into account. But when the brand advances the security and confidentiality problems of the users, the European agency in charge of the DMA judges that this does not concern the subject or their experts … A strange position that takes into account the technological innovations and the risks of misuse of the data that they can cause in case of abuse.
For security measures, and in advance, without a doubt, also the European requirements, Apple has already delayed the arrival of the EU of functions in Mac as the possibility of copying the screen of its iPhone (iPhone reflecting that the EU wants to see on Android or Windows), live activities (real iPhone information directly in the MAC MAC bar) and the telephone application. Apple Intelligence took six more months to reach France and elsewhere due to different with the EU, but Apple made some concessions and long discussions to achieve it. However, this does not seem to satisfy Europe that continues to extend the list of requirements.
Requests that do not emanate to consumers or competitors
Apple defends its position, but also its achievements and innovations. Share intellectual property with its competitors without compensation, rate or other, for the App Store, in terms of the innovative functions of its products, it really does not happen. Not more than being obliged to allow the transfer from equal to the same to have an alternative to Airdrop. A requirement that is not among the demands of the competition, which benefits mainly from EU actions or consumers.
And the user in another part of all this? Being obliged to share these data with third parties without a guarantee of use remains a question for American tenor. He would have proposed alternatives to protect privacy instead of opening their data, but the EU would have rejected them.
The misunderstanding still remains between two parts that camp in position. The case does not seem to be resolved and will spend some time before they manage to put everything on the table and find an agreement. Ultimately, it is the European consumer who makes delays with the arrival of functions, leveling the lower potential of innovations and the competitive environment with the most generic technology to share to avoid the looting of new products that are free of competition. Soft Apple consequences for the fluid operation of its products and operational transparency.
From there to see Apple get away from Europe or offer a degraded iPhone? No, he assures that the company, most likely frustrated in front of the governing bodies that, which bet on the legislative, does not seem to have enough technical experience to understand the problems and consequences for users whose privacy even seems to be younger of their concerns.
Protection against openness, confidentiality against competition: the problems are too different to agree at the moment and the archive does not seem to find a result that satisfies both parties. However, Apple tries to find commitments with applicants such as goal or share their concerns more openly. Then, the company decided to appeal to the Court of Justice of Luxembourg for the legality of DMA’s provisions. An audience is scheduled in autumn … when iOS 26 and other bones should try to open their arms to European users, as well as the rest of the world.
Source: BFM TV
