LONDON (AP) — The European Union on Wednesday outlined the steps that Apple must take to open up its iPhone and iPad operating systems to work better with competing technologies.
It’s the first time the EU has moved to compel a technology company to comply with the bloc’s digital Digital Markets Act — a wide-ranging set of regulations designed to prevent Big Tech “gatekeeper” companies from cornering markets.
After the DMA took effect a year ago, the EU’s executive Commission moved swiftly to open a raft of investigations into Big Tech companies.
Brussels also opened two “ specification proceedings ” in September to spell out what Apple needs to do under the DMA, which aims to make digital markets “fairer” and “more contestable” by breaking up closed tech ecosystems that lock consumers into a single company’s products or services.
In its legally binding decision, the commission detailed measures that the iPhone maker has to take involving nine connectivity features for its iOS operating system.
The measures will give device and app makers better access to iPhone features that work with devices. For example, iPhone users will have “enhanced possibilities” to receive notifications on non-Apple smartwatches, including receiving pictures and the ability to reply to them. Users could also benefit from more seamless pairing of wireless headphones from other brands.
Access to Apple’s wireless file transfer technology would let third-party developers create apps similar to the AirDrop feature.
The commission also laid out a second set of measures to make the process for software developers requesting access to iPhone features more transparent and effective. Among the changes are better access to technical documentation not yet available to third parties, it said.
With its decision, Brussels is “providing regulatory certainty both to Apple and to developers,” the European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera said in a press release.
“Effective interoperability” for will mean “better choice for consumers in the fast-growing market for innovative connected devices,” she said.
European consumer group BEUC hailed the decision.
“For too long, Apple has operated a walled garden around its products and prevented interoperability,” Director General Agustin Reyna said.
Apple, however, voiced its unhappiness, saying it’s bad for the company’s products and for European users.
“Today’s decisions wrap us in red tape, slowing down Apple’s ability to innovate for users in Europe and forcing us to give away our new features for free to companies who don’t have to play by the same rules,” the company said in a statement.
