Document: the EU Commission pressed Apple to rework iOS so that the OS is more compatible with competitors' smartwatches, earbuds, headsets, and other devices
- Apple cites concerns that Meta access may undermine privacy — EU watchdog has pressed company to rework iOS operating system
Context & Ripple Effects
The Commission’s pressure follows its earlier deadline for Apple to make operating systems work fully with other technology, reflected in the EU’s six-month compliance timetable. It also lands amid a widening dispute over whether Apple’s DMA changes are sufficiently open: Meta and Microsoft had already urged regulators to reject Apple’s proposed iOS and App Store changes.
Apple’s warning that Meta’s requested access could affect privacy and security makes the case a test of how far device interoperability can extend into iOS-controlled functions. The immediate issue is not merely access for one accessory category, but the terms under which competing connected-device makers can integrate with iPhone users.
First-order effects
- Apple faces Commission pressure to alter iOS interfaces or capabilities for third-party smartwatches, earbuds, headsets and related connected devices.
- Meta and other device rivals gain a regulatory channel to seek iOS interoperability, while Apple must defend any restrictions as necessary for privacy and security.
Second-order effects
- Accessory makers can compete more directly on integration rather than relying on Apple-approved pathways, increasing pressure on Apple’s own device ecosystem advantage.
- The dispute pushes regulators to distinguish legitimate security safeguards from platform controls that limit rival devices; Apple’s claim that Meta made 15 interoperability requests sharpens that assessment.
Third-order effects
- If such access requirements become enforceable in practice, control of the smartphone OS may become less effective as a moat for adjacent hardware categories, shifting competition toward device features and services.
- The lasting policy challenge is likely to be governance of sensitive OS access: interoperable interfaces may need standardized limits, auditing or other safeguards rather than a simple open-versus-closed outcome.
The trend: DMA enforcement is moving from broad platform obligations toward contested implementation rules for the operating-system interfaces that determine whether adjacent devices can compete.