Apple says Meta has made 15 interoperability requests under the EU's DMA, more than any other company, and that these could affect users' privacy and security

Apple (AAPL.O) on Wednesday hit out at Meta Platforms (META.O), saying its numerous requests to access the iPhone maker's software tools …

Reuters 2024-12-19 Foo Yun Chee

Context & Ripple Effects

Meta and Microsoft had already argued that Apple’s proposed DMA changes did not go far enough, while Apple defended its compliance at an EU hearing. Meta’s 15 requests turn that broad dispute into a concrete test of what access iOS must provide.

The Commission was also pressing Apple to make iOS work more readily with rival devices, reinforcing that interoperability—not only App Store rules—is a central DMA fault line. Apple’s earlier refusal to integrate Llama over privacy concerns adds context to its stance toward Meta’s access requests.

First-order effects

Apple must assess Meta’s 15 DMA interoperability requests, with Meta seeking more access to iPhone software tools than any other requester identified by Apple.
Apple is framing the requests as a privacy-and-security risk, putting the scope and safeguards of any resulting access at the center of its DMA compliance case.

Second-order effects

The requests give regulators a specific record against which to judge Apple’s interoperability implementation, following Meta and Microsoft’s earlier challenge to Apple’s DMA changes.
Other device and software providers can use the outcome as a benchmark for the access they can seek, especially as the Commission pushes for broader iOS compatibility with competing hardware.

Third-order effects

If regulators require wider access, iOS interoperability will increasingly be defined through technical interfaces and safeguards rather than solely by Apple’s product policies.
The dispute illustrates a durable tension in platform regulation: mandates to reduce gatekeeper control will be contested through privacy and security boundaries, particularly where rivals seek deep system access.

The trend: DMA enforcement is shifting competition over mobile platforms from app-distribution rules toward contested access to operating-system capabilities and the safeguards governing that access.

Discussion

@brucel Bruce Lawson on bluesky
Thoughts and prayers for Apple, whose Xmas has been ruined by beastly orgs making “interoperability requests”. Perhaps it should just design and document APIs that allow interoperability, rather than require supplicants to submit a form into a black hole. www.reuters.com/technol…
@ianbetteridge.com Ian Betteridge on bluesky
Good for Apple for highlighting these requests. But it's also right that privacy rights aren't at the sole discretion of a global business, no matter how much you like them.
@alexrpigman Alex Pigman on bluesky
Brussels is scorched earth against Apple and Meta is happy to ride shotgun... [embedded post]
@quinnypig.com Corey Quinn on bluesky
Dear lord, Apple doesn't make iOS compatible with many of its own products. [embedded post]
@jacaranda7 Rob Leathern on threads
Most folks don't appreciate this about the EU Digital Markets Act, which is that it requires interoperability to an extent we've never ever seen before. I expect a lot of big fights about this in 2025 between the tech giants. 🍿
@cameronazi Cameron Azi on threads
Apple didn't choose this symbol randomly. It ties into the idea of Promethean fire—the gift of knowledge stolen from the gods, bringing power but also responsibility. Technology, like the forbidden fruit, offers access to realms of connection, creativity, and understanding, but…
@flasheeto @flasheeto on threads
Thinking about Apple's tactics here takes me back to that time in 1993 when my mom asked me who ate the entire bag of potato chips, and I replied that I wasn't sure whether my sister did the dishes like she asked. https://www.reuters.com/...
@andymstone Andy Stone on threads
Alt hed: Apple just doesn't believe in interoperability
@carnage4life Dare Obasanjo on threads
14 years ago, Steve Jobs said FaceTime would be an open standard and it still isn't today. Apple realized the power of lock-in where you can only use FaceTime, iMessage, Apple Watches, etc from Apple devices as a way to trap people in their ecosystem and haven't looked back once…
@andymstone Andy Stone on x
So let's cut to the chase. Here's what Apple is actually saying: they don't believe in interoperability. In fact, every time Apple is called out for anticompetitive behavior, they defend themselves on privacy grounds that have no basis in reality.
@lewis_crofts Lewis Crofts on x
EU just intervened in iPhone, forcing interoperability w/ rival makers of watches, earbuds etc. It's huge. But @EU_Competition dropped the docs at midnight & barely made a squeak. Anyone would think they are trying not to alert @elonmusk @realDonaldTrump & @tim_cook
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
The EU's European Commission has pressed Apple Inc. to further open up the iPhone operating system to rivals, prompting the company to complain about requests from Meta Platforms Inc. that it says will undermine privacy. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
@andymstone Andy Stone on x
This is a joke, right? The framing of this story is inane. What Apple is actually saying here is they just don't believe in interoperability.
r/apple r on reddit
Apple hits out at Meta's numerous interoperability requests
@shiraovide Shira Ovide on bluesky
Truly I will never get tired of the feud between Meta and Apple, which includes snitching to regulators to mess up one another's businesses. — www.bloomberg.com/news/article... [image]
@boztank Boz on x
If you paid for an iPhone you should be annoyed that Apple won't give you the power to decide what accessories you use with it! You paid a lot of money for that computer and it could be doing so much more for you but they handicap it to preference their own accessories (which are
@boztank Boz on x
Lots of responses here entirely missing the point. If you don't want this functionality, good news: you don't have to use it! I'm saying make it available to those who want it. Many iPhone users don't realize the experience with (for example) Ray-Ban Meta glasses is better on
@eu_competition @eu_competition on x
The 🇪🇺 seeks feedback on the measures Apple should take to ensure interoperability on ⬇️ 1⃣ Connected devices with iOS. 2️⃣ Apple's interoperability request process for third parties. ⏳Deadline: 9 / 01 Have your say 👉 https://europa.eu/!YjqxfQ #DigitalMarketsAct [image]
@patrickmoorhead Patrick Moorhead on x
I'd be happy if the EU got Apple to provide better API access to Microsoft for iMessage-Windows Phone Link interactions in a similar way RCS is implemented. I know different tech, but same idea.
r/apple r on reddit
EU Escalates Pressure on Apple to Open Up Its Features to Rivals

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