Apple will withhold the release of Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring, and more in the EU this year, citing concerns about DMA's interoperability requirements
After the news broke yesterday - on a Friday afternoon, no less … Lloyd Coombes / iMore : Apple's biggest iOS 18 and macOS features, including Apple intelligence, won't come to the EU this year because of the Digital Markets Act Financial Times : Apple delays European launch of AI features because of EU rules Sagar / GSMArena.com : Apple Intelligence may not come to the EU at launch over regulatory concerns Julia Tar / Euractiv : Apple halts rollout of features in EU due to ‘regulatory uncertainties’ Aastha / Sam Lover : Samsung Galaxy AI Stands Alone as Apple Intelligence Lacks Presence in Europe Maximilian Schreiner / The Decoder : Apple Intelligence faces setbacks in Europe and China Thomas Claburn / The Register : Apple Intelligence won't be available in Europe because Tim's terrified of watchdogs Rounak Jain / Benzinga : Apple To Exclude Key Features From iOS 18 And macOS Sequoia For EU Customers: Here's Why Anadolu Ajansı Güncel Haberler : Apple may not roll out key features to EU users this year Akash Pandey / NewsBytes : Apple Intelligence not coming to EU this year: Here's why Anil Ganti / Notebookcheck : Apple Intelligence will not launch in EU later this year Akshaya Asokan / GovInfoSecurity.com : Apple to Delay AI Rollout in Europe John Gruber / Daring Fireball : EU Users Won't Get Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring, or the New SharePlay Screen Sharing Features This Year, Thanks to the DMA Gideon Wolf / COINOTAG NEWS : Apple Delays ‘Apple Intelligence’ AI Features in EU Due to Digital Markets Act Constraints Maxwell Mutuma / CoinGape : Regulatory Challenges Force Apple to Pause AI Enhancements in Europe Brian Mutembei / The Crypto Times : Apple Delays AI Feature Launch in EU Due to DMA Compliance Thom Holwerda / OSnews : Apple won't release its new AI features in the EU because they don't comply with EU privacy and competition laws PYMNTS.com : Apple Withholds AI, Other Offerings From EU amid DMA Conflicts Maria Deutscher / SiliconANGLE : Apple delays release of Apple Intelligence, two other new features in the EU John Gruber / Daring Fireball : ★ The EU Is Reaping What It Sows With the DMA: Uncertainty Jean Leon / Android Headlines : Apple is delaying its AI-powered features in the EU; DMA to blame Michael Tsai / mjtsai.com : No Apple Intelligence or iPhone Mirroring in EU at Launch Jason Nelson / Decrypt : Apple's Big AI Upgrades Won't Launch in the EU This Year: Reports Martin Peers / The Information : Apple Throws Down the Gauntlet to European Regulators Aaron Tilley / Wall Street Journal : Apple Says Regulatory Concerns Might Prevent Rollout of AI Features in Europe Rohan Goswami / CNBC : Apple Intelligence won't launch in EU in 2024 due to antitrust regulation, company says Nick Heer / Pixel Envy : Apple Says It Will Prevent E.U. Users From Accessing Select New Features, Including Apple Intelligence, Until It Has Achieved DMA Compliance Oliver Haslam / Redmond Pie : Apple Intelligence And Other iOS 18 Features Won't Launch In The EU Over DMA Concerns Ed Hardy / Cult of Mac : Europe won't get Apple Intelligence AI features in spat with EU Asma Hussain / iThinkDifferent : Apple Intelligence delayed in EU due to data security concerns iClarified : Apple to Release iOS 18 Beta 2 on Monday With iPhone Mirroring, SharePlay Screen Sharing John Callaham / Neowin : Apple will not launch its Apple Intelligence and other iOS 18 updates in the EU this year Jason Snell / Six Colors : Apple: Some new features won't come to EU due to the DMA ↦ Chris Smith / Trusted Reviews : EU iPhone users won't get best iOS 18 features, like Apple Intelligence Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends : Apple's AI features for the iPhone just hit a major roadblock Mike Viray / Phandroid : EU Users Might Miss Out on Apple's AI Features Tech Xplore : Apple delays rollout of AI features in Europe Will Shanklin / Engadget : Apple will reportedly withhold new AI features in Europe due to regulations Britney Nguyen / Quartz : Apple likely won't release its new AI features in Europe this year because of regulatory concerns Ivana Saric / Axios : Apple says it won't roll out AI features in Europe due to regulatory concerns Dylan Horetski / Dexerto : Apple Intelligence AI tech won't release in EU due to security concerns Simon Batt / XDA Developers : Want to use Apple Intelligence in the EU? The DMA won't let you, says Apple David Joseppi / The Apple Post : Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring to Mac, and more new WWDC24 features will not be available in the EU at launch, says Apple Johanna Romero / PhoneArena : Apple Intelligence not coming to the EU over regulatory concerns Brad Linder / Liliputing : Lilbits: Apple Intelligence skips the EU Malcolm Owen / AppleInsider : Apple Intelligence & iPhone mirroring aren't coming to EU because of the DMA C. Scott Brown / Android Authority : Apple confirms Apple Intelligence isn't coming to nearly 450 million people in EU José Adorno / BGR : Apple AI and other iOS 18 features won't launch in the EU over regulatory fears Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac : Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring to Mac, and SharePlay Screen Sharing won't be available in the EU at launch Threads: Alex Stamos / @alex.stamos : One of the reasons the Irish DPA was the choice of US tech companies was their willingness to provide product feedback early in the cycle. Due to the jealousy other EU countries had of the Irish they have centralized this decision making power in Brussels for the DMA/DSA … Benedict Evans / @benedictevans : A certain kind of person really struggles with this, so let's spell out a very specific example Apple Intelligence uses an on-device database of personal information. Will the EU decide that the DMA requires Apple to let third party apps read that? If so, how and on what terms? … Benedict Evans / @benedictevans : This is a game of chicken. The EU's whole approach is to force tech companies to guess about what might be compliant, or risk a giant fine. That works for existing products. But now Apple is saying 'we won't even launch it unless you tell us what would be compliant'. And the DMA does not offer a fine for just not offering the product at all. Eric Benjamin Seufert / @eric_seufert : I wonder if consumers, in the majority, approve of this tradeoff. John Gruber / @gruber : It's absurd to argue that tech companies filtering all future product ideas through government regulatory bodies would make for a good system. And what if the answer is “No”? And even if the answer is “Yes” wouldn't it mean operating at the speed of EU bureaucracy? Of course Apple — which considers secrecy a marketing advantage — doesn't want to engage with that. Barbaros / @barbarosozturk : Canadian government asks social media platforms (that share news) for unwarranted compensation, and then the platform turns off the news. The public loses. EU imposes aggressive regulations on the biggest tech platforms (which provide the most popular digital products), and then the platforms get selective about their rollouts. The public loses. Is there a pattern here? Asking for a friend... Andrew Pardoe / @andrewpardoe : Constraints slow product development. It's quite reasonable to think Apple's data policies require cooperation on both sides of the API, meaning a 3rd party caller leaves them open to sensitive data misuse. If Apple never brings these features to Europe I'll start to doubt their claims. … Sebastiaan de With / @sdw : Above all, this ham-fisted attempt by the EU to regulate tech makes it basically impossible for me to move back there with my family from the US. If it goes down this path, I can't run my iOS app business from there. There's good regulation and there's bad, and this is bad. The EU seems hell bent on getting one over on tech over the backs of users and developers. John Gruber / @gruber : Vestager and Thierry (and presumably the EC as an institution) clearly expected Apple and Meta to just roll over. John Gruber / @gruber : “This is not spite. Spite would be saying these features will never come to the EU while the DMA remains in place. But a delayed rollout is the only rational response to the DMA: extreme caution in the face of the law's by-design uncertainty and severe penalties.” https://daringfireball.net/... Jonathan Garelick / @jonathangarelick : Apple is really playing 4D chess with their OpenAI partnership. They're not paying them, and they offload all their liability. Tim Cooked with this one. @eshumarneedi : Apple can cite whatever concerns it wants as a private corporation. What's funny about this is seeing Europeans kick their feet and smash their keyboards because Apple exercised its rights in Europe for the first time in six months. If you don't like it, ring up your friendly neighborhood EU commissioner. Benedict Evans / @benedictevans : Frankly - this is lazy bullshit. This is a new feature that didn't exist before the DMA! Now - what EXACTLY is Apple supposed to do? Should it, for example, allow any third-party app unrestricted access to the new, on-device index of your personal data? That's one reading of the DMA. If so, how, EXACTLY? What wording should Apple use to ask you if you want to hand your entire personal data to any app on the App Store? Any side-loaded app? Would you bet a $10bn fine that you know the answer? Benedict Evans / @benedictevans : None of these questions have simple answers. The fact that you can't answer a really simple one I just gave you demonstrates that. Does the DMA require Apple give open API access to the semantic index - an entirely new feature that didn't exist when the DMA was passed? Yes or no? That's a matter of opinion. The EU might say yes. or no. We don't know. If yes, on what terms? Again, we don't know. And neither does Apple - or the EU! Konstantin Ko / @iamkonstantineu : This has nothing to do with security. The DMA (and other related policies) are very explicit about the needed outcome, and Apple as a conglomerate surely has the money to hire enough legal folks to read them. Businesses should be able to introduce alternative features without being at a disadvantage (think core technology tax, weird app store review guidelines or geo-blocking for developer tools or lacking APIs). It's no rocket science. Benedict Evans / @benedictevans : Ian, this really does look like bad faith on your part. Apple can file, sure, But it wouldn't file any request until the products have been made public, and it won't know the outcome in advance. The EU might (indeed, WILL) require that Apple change the products for the EU, and Apple will wait until it knows what those changes are and can make them, or perhaps - just perhaps - not launch some features entirely. Hence, as per the quote, Apple does not, today, know what the EU wants Ian Betteridge / @ianbetteridge : That's not the EU's whole approach. Under Article 8(3) a gatekeeper can request that the Commission engage in a process to determine whether measures they intend to implement meet the requirements of the DMA. That can, obviously, be done before launching a new feature. … Federico Viticci / @viticci : step 1: don't follow the DMA and get (most likely) fined step 2: scrape European websites for your LLM step 3: don't launch LLM in Europe, because of DMA step 4: There is no step 4. This is a bad look and European users are being used as a bargaining chip between Apple and regulators. … Mastodon: Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith … : The DMA is only vague if you're trying to game it. The rules amount to “don't be a dick”. — Apple's out here asking “well how will I know if I'm being a dick?? I can't operate under this environment!” — Whereas most people don't have to ask themselves that question John Gruber / @gruber@mastodon.social : @nileane @stroughtonsmith I have read the entire DMA and I see nothing that says a gatekeeping platform can't charge for access to its platform. It targets only the way Apple has been doing so to date — by allowing distribution exclusively through the App Store, and requiring all commerce through the App Store to use Apple's payments. Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith … : Apple could have built its new features in such a way as they would have no issues shipping in the EU at launch. — Instead, they scraped all your websites, without your knowledge, to fuel their LLM. — Priorities, right? Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith … : How many EU-based sites did Apple scrape to build the feature it now says it can't ship in the EU because of legal uncertainty? Steve Streza / @stevestreza@indieweb.social : I genuinely don't understand what Apple's trying to do with this pissing match with the EU. If the goal is to drum up public opinion against the DMA, Apple's a “multiple trillions of dollars” company, they aren't the scrappy upstart making quirky iPod ads in the 2000s, they ARE the institutional player. … Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith … : Apple Intelligence, previously, was only promised to work for US English and when your region was set to US. So it wasn't actually going to work in the EU at launch *anyway*. But now Apple have decided to make it a pawn in whatever legislative game they think they're playing, so I guess legislators are going to have to have an opinion on it now (decided upon in anger), and extend the DMA framework in that direction 🤷♂️ Be careful what you wish for Steve Streza / @stevestreza@indieweb.social : This is the framing Apple wants to sell for their decision to withhold features from the EU, and blogs are parroting it. — In reality, Apple is purposefully withholding these features from the EU, either because Apple are being retaliatory against EU customers for the existence of the DMA … @sdw@mastodon.social : For all of its purported goals to ‘foster a better digital market’, having foreign tech companies delay features into the EU market will have huge effects not just for consumers but for developers. I can't see that becoming an economic advantage to an already-lagging EU tech economy. @nileane@nileane.fr : I don't see how this can be a winning strategy. — Apple is often cited, for good reason, as a consumer-friendly company. That won't remain true for long if they start using their users and their own features as cannon fodder to get back at regulators. … @nileane@nileane.fr : @gruber @stroughtonsmith Come on, you know the CTF clearly violates the letter of the DMA. I don't think there is any scenario in the context of this law where it's okay for Apple to charge developers who distribute their apps completely outside of the App Store. Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith … : There were very few reasons to adopt the Apple-Intelligence-compatible Intents APIs in iOS 18 in the first place, considering the dramatically slimmed down device compatibility list. Slicing 27 countries out of the mix seals the deal; it also makes it unlikely that any apps built by developers in those countries can properly support it either @sdw@mastodon.social : @stroughtonsmith @macrumors I mean, seriously, if you were to have to sell apps in the US and there was some kind of nebulous policy that might make you risk having to pay huge fines even on your own global income, wouldn't you pause feature rollout there until you could ensure you wouldn't be fined? @nileane@nileane.fr : I'm with @stroughtonsmith here. — Apple admitted to scraping the open web to feed its LLM, and you gotta assume thousands of European websites and creators had their content scraped without their consent as well. — It seems that Apple would rather do that than adapt its products and features to the DMA. … Roel Groeneveld / @roelgroeneveld@mastodon.nl : @sdw It's interesting to see how the Apple tech press and pundits (@gruber et al) are all framing it as the EU's fault for interfering in Apple's software development and UX. — While from a European perspective markets are being regulated, and Apple is behaving like a disgruntled teenager. … Steve Troughton-Smith / @stroughtonsmith … : “iPhone Mirroring, SharePlay Screen Sharing enhancements, and Apple Intelligence” — Apple's screen sharing being the only one with remote control is very clearly self-preferencing. iPhone Mirroring, though? Beats me. None of these actually hit upon DMA rules directly, so maybe Apple's just pulling out the dirty tricks to try to turn users against legislators. … John Gruber / @gruber@mastodon.social : @stroughtonsmith What do you expect when you enforce the “spirit”, rather than letter, of the law? The CTF doesn't violate the letter of the DMA either and Apple is going to get dinged for it. @nileane@nileane.fr : Apple withholding iPhone Mirroring in the EU “because of the DMA” makes no sense. — Universal Control and Sidecar already exist, and the EU has given no sign that these features would constitute violations of the DMA. — Apple is either making stuff up to stick it to the European Commission, or there's something we're missing here. … X: Lukasz Olejnik / @lukolejnik : In a sense, it's fine. People in Europe won't be the first test subjects. Some issues may be fixed until/if/when the product ships in European Union. Including that global off switch, or off switch for “remote cloud AI server” computation that I was talking about! Transparency! Mark Gurman / @markgurman : Impacted: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. Jason Kint / @jason_kint : An entirely absurd take for a news report. Apple is doing what Facebook did in the E.U. holding back feature(s) while creating a narrative the market may not be worth it (due to restrictions put on gatekeepers with extraordinary market power). Again, an absurd take. [image] Tim Sweeney / @timsweeneyepic : @mitsuhiko So gross to see dozens of Apple lobbyists and paid advocates being broadcast widely all over Twitter disingenuously blaming Apple's product decisions on the EU. John Gruber / @gruber : It's not the privacy it's the interop mandates. iPhone Mirroring only works with Apple's own desktop computer. SharePlay Screen Sharing and drawing only works between Apple devices. The DMA could be read as demanding that this is all self-preferencing and needs to be opened to competitors. And that would be the privacy/security problem. Sebastiaan de With / @sdw : Ah, an exciting new chapter in “Give EU the control over software and enjoy the consequences”: Sebastiaan de With / @sdw : @rhysmorgan It's not spite, it's just plain good business not to expose yourself to the possibility of huge fines when there's convoluted and opaque regulations that you might run afoul of Rhys Morgan / @rhysmorgan : @sdw This seems a lot more like spite from Apple. Why on earth would DMA stop iPhone Mirroring or SharePlay Screensharing of all things? Jordi Bruin / @jordibruin : DMA really out here ruining the Apple ecosystem 😤 Sebastiaan de With / @sdw : For people that say Apple is operating out of spite: say you have a business in the US and sold a product in the EU. Would you blindly roll out new features while (vague) regulations exist that could expose you to fines amounting to a share of your worldwide income? @reddit_lies : DMA is focused on preventing “gatekeepers” from unfairly favoring their own services and promoting interoperability. 1. If Apple Intelligence were to prioritize Apple services like Apple Music or Apple Maps in searches or recommendations, the DMA would apply. 2. iPhone Mirroring is only native to Apple devices which violates DMA's interoperability requirements. 3. Similarly, Shareplay ScreenSharing will require an Apple device on both ends, meaning it also violates the DMA's interoperability requirements. Mark Gurman / @markgurman : On the other hand: Apple cares about $ above all, Apple Intelligence is partially limited to newer iPhones to make more $, so intentionally removing it from 27 countries would be moronic. Peter Steinberger / @steipete : How in t f could iPhone Mirroring in any way be relevant to the Digital Marketing Act? Apple reacts like a defiant child. @mysk_co : @steipete Perhaps Apple is trying to avoid being forced to enable iPhone Mirroring between iPhones and, say, Windows. The same way they disabled PWAs so they're not forced to allow each browser to manage its own PWAs. Mishaal Rahman / @mishaalrahman : The lack of iPhone mirroring support being blamed on the DMA is particularly interesting. Did Apple just not want to be forced to open up an API that would allow Windows PC OEMs to make an iPhone mirroring client? Google created such an API for Android in Android 13 (Virtual Dare Obasanjo / @carnage4life : Apple will not ship Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring and SharePlay Screensharing in the EU this year because of the Digital Markets Act. The company blames interoperability requirements which would force them to compromise user privacy and data security. 🙃 [image] @privacymatters : Apple can't seem to cope with assisting competition. Adam Kovacevich / @adamkovac : The DMA takes aim at vertically integrated products, which users like a lot, all to help rival companies. As a result the DMA is increasingly setting Europe behind the rest of the world in terms of access to the latest innovations. Thomas Ricouard / @dimillian : As predicted, it began and this is truly fucked up. As an European customer, this suck. https://www.macrumors.com/... Adam Kovacevich / @adamkovac : EU officials are spending a lot of time evangelizing the virtues of the DMA - to California, Brazil, Canada, India and more. But moments like this are a reminder that the DMA is degrading services for millions of consumers. https://www.techpolicy.press/ ... Ryan Jones / @rjonesy : Simultaneously spite, smart, and responsible. Adam Kovacevich / @adamkovac : Last week Apple announced a bunch of exciting new AI features in its products. But some of those key features won't be coming to Europe. Because of the Digital Markets Act. Another #DigitalMarketsActFail 🧵: [image] Thomas Ricouard / @dimillian : Apple used simple math. The time and effort required to make Apple Intelligence DMA-compliant is not worth it. This means that even if it helped sell that many iPhones, the EU truckload of bureaucracy still won over doing business. Holly / @anxiousholly : apple really said take that EU [image] Mark Gurman / @markgurman : Do these features actually violate the DMA or is Apple really unable to design around the privacy issues? Or is Apple (partially) doing this to get consumers in the EU to push back against the regulators? Lack of AI, mirroring and tech support is going to get annoying - FAST. Marcin Krzyzanowski / @krzyzanowskim : no iPhone Mirroring no SharePlay Screen Sharing no Apple Intelligence yes higher iPhone prices From Apple with ❤️ to Europe 😍 https://www.macrumors.com/... Jens-Fabian Goetzmann / @mrjefago : This. Apple's DMA response was certainly if not maliciously then at least doing the least they could get away with. Not launching new features in the EU seems mostly about reducing regulatory risk. Patrick Hedger / @pat_hedger : Europe has moved from not innovating to not benefitting from innovation elsewhere. Meanwhile, politicians on both sides of the aisle in the United States are copying and collaborating with Luddites on the continent. Steven Sinofsky / @stevesi : Some might recall “Windows N” which was a version of Windows created for the EU market that did not contain the regulated features of media playback and various media APIs. (pre-browser regulation). This feels like Apple getting ahead of a mandated SKU—an iPhone without the stuff the Commission wants to regulate (aka “offer choice") as it was inevitable that there would be a forced unbundling... M.G. Siegler / @mgsiegler : Apple to the EU: “No AI for you!” Why? Because payback is a bitch, that's why. (But it's also a smart stick to swing move given that such tech is months away at best, and likely far longer beyond English.) https://spyglass.org/... @mysk_co : They can disable the new Passwords app too. Nothing can replace alternative marketplaces. Luther Lowe / @lutherlowe : More bad faith “compliance” with the DMA by Apple in its refusal to embrace less restrictive alternatives and interoperable AI. Be suspicious of anyone claiming this is an own goal by the European Commission; they're probably on Apple's payroll. https://www.techmeme.com/... Mark Gurman / @markgurman : The omitted features: 1) Apple's biggest change to iOS in a decade (AI) 2)The favorite new feature of Apple's biggest fans (iPhone Mirroring) 3) Maybe the most important new iOS 18 feature (SharePlay Screenshare) Benjamin Mayo / @bzamayo : EU to block app icon tinting on grounds of crimes against user interface design. Florian Mueller / @florian4gamers : At this stage it's hard to tell what Apple's strategy is. Do they think this puts pressure on the EU to be softer on enforcement? That wouldn't work. But normally Apple stands its ground, particularly in the DMA context. We'll find out over time what the concern/plan is here. Alex Volkov / @altryne : No AI for (E)U Apple probably [image] Mark Gurman / @markgurman : Important context re Apple Intelligence however: it was only going to be available in American English this year anyways. So many in the EU aren't exactly missing much this year anyways with this development. Question is how long this omission lasts. Steven Sinofsky / @stevesi : This is significant. [image] Mark Gurman / @markgurman : Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring and SharePlay Screensharing won't come to the European Union this year because of the Digital Markets Act, Apple says https://www.bloomberg.com/... LinkedIn: Michael Jackson : As the EU continues to shrink as a % of the world's economy, it becomes easier for companies to just avoid it and its regulations. — https://lnkd.in/... Emil Protalinski : Apple is playing chicken with the EU. Apple is planning to withhold releasing Apple Intelligence in the EU in 2024, citing concerns about the Digital Markets Act's interoperability requirements. … André Meyer : Wow... the #EU is already falling behind on many different fronts and in an overall technological aspect, here is one of the latest examples that the non-IT population can relate to. … Mario Herger, PhD : How do you get an entire continent drop off the technology roadmap? — By introducing legislation - and this over many years … Forums: Hacker News : Mr: Apple Intelligence Features Not Coming to EU at Launch Due to DMA r/technology : Apple may delay AI features in the EU because of its big tech law r/neoliberal : Apple Won't Roll Out AI Tech In EU Market Over Regulatory Concerns r/technews : Apple Won't Roll Out AI Tech In EU Market Over Regulatory Concerns r/singularity : Apple Won't Roll Out AI Tech In EU Market Over Regulatory Concerns - Bloomberg r/apple : Apple Won't Roll Out AI Tech In EU Market Over Regulatory Concerns r/europe : Apple Won't Roll Out AI Tech In EU Market Over Regulatory Concerns