Apple now has to become more like Android, and the company hates it

Apple has had to slowly open up its walled garden to outsiders, thanks to legislation passed by the EU under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Notably, the company has had to allow third-party app stores on iOS in the EU, a feature that Android used to proudly boast about. Today, the European Commission has specified interoperability obligations for Apple to comply with, and unironically, they will bring iOS closer than ever to Android in how it works.

The European Commission is pushing to open up Apple’s ecosystem for deeper and more seamless integration of third-party products, giving EU users a wider choice of products compatible with their Apple devices. The Commission has detailed nine iOS connectivity features that will grant third-party device manufacturers and app developers improved access to iPhone interaction features.

The nine iOS features that need to become interoperable are:

1. iOS notifications: Connected devices such as smart watches should be allowed to show and react to iOS notifications.
2. Background execution: iOS apps need to be allowed to execute certain actions ‘in the background’ with respect to connected physical devices. For example, synchronizing weather data with a smartwatch without keeping any specific apps open in the foreground.
3. Automatic audio switching between two devices needs to be allowed.
4. Automatic Wi-Fi connection for connected device setup and configuration needs to be allowed.
5. Proximity-triggered pairing needs to be allowed.
6. High-bandwidth peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections: Connected physical devices should be able to create a Wi-Fi Direct connection to share large files.
7. Close-range wireless file transfers: Third-party file-sharing apps should have access to the same iOS-controlled features as Apple’s services, like AirDrop.
8. Media Casting: Developers should be able to develop an alternative media casting solution to Apple’s AirPlay.
9. NFC Controller in Reader/Writer mode: Allow apps on an iPhone to communicate with connected devices, such as rings or bracelets, to provide them with information such as a user’s payment card details, which can then be used further without the presence of the iPhone.

Each of these requirements has its own timeline. For instance, iOS notifications for smartwatches and proximity-triggered pairing need to be available in iOS betas by the end of 2025 (with some exceptions), while the full implementation needs to be in iOS by June 1, 2026. On the other hand, background execution has some actions specified for iOS 19 or up until the end of 2025, but all measures should be available in iOS 20 or up until the end of 2026.

These specifications and their included timelines are legally binding on Apple in the EU region, subject to Apple’s rights of defense and judicial scrutiny. This doesn’t mean that Apple is violating the DMA just yet, but the specification decision does help to achieve compliance with the regulation. In other words, Apple has to change things up in the EU, or it will risk violating the DMA.

Apple has provided us with the following statement on the Commission’s specifications:

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. It’s bad for our products and for our European users. We will continue to work with the European Commission to help them understand our concerns on behalf of our users.

As you can imagine, Apple is definitely not happy with the decision. The company says these interoperability decisions are bad for its products and European users, making it much more difficult to launch new products and technologies in the region.

The company will continue to comply with the DMA and work with the Commission on these matters. However, it’s convinced that these specifications will not achieve the Commission’s goals of fostering competition and innovation.

If you examine some of the specifications, you will see that they are features that Android users take for granted. For instance, everyone agrees that the Apple Watch is an effective ecosystem lock-in for iPhones, and no third-party smartwatch experience comes close. That’s because third-party smartwatches don’t have access to the same internal iOS tools as the Apple Watch.

Third-party smartwatches cannot show iOS notifications, killing one of the biggest reasons to get a smartwatch. Further, since iOS has restrictions on the background execution of apps, non-Apple smartwatches cannot silently synchronize their data, as they have no choice but to require the user to launch the iOS companion app and stay on it for the duration and frequency of synchronization. Imagine if you had to open the companion app on your iPhone every time you wanted to check the weather on a connected non-Apple smartwatch — you don’t have to imagine, as that is what happens right now.

While I empathize with Apple in that it is being forced to share its innovation with others, often businesses who want to copy Apple, one only needs to look at Android to realize that the open ecosystem model is great for consumer choice. With my Pixel 9 Pro, I can choose between the Pixel Watch 3, the Galaxy Watch 7, the OnePlus Watch 3, or any of the other great smartwatches around. With my iPhone 16 Pro, I am restricted to the Apple Watch for a usable smartwatch experience. If I don’t like the Apple Watch, then tough luck to me.

We’ll have to wait and watch how these interoperability requirements shape the future of iOS and iPadOS, iPhones, and, by extension, third-party accessory ecosystems and even Android.