The EU’s battle with Apple to make its operating system interoperable with Android does not stop. Apple lost the battle for its Lightning port, as well as the battle for the application stores, and now the EU is proposing some of the measures it would like to see so that iOS changes forever.
The Commission has proposed major changes to the operating system. Changes that would bring it closer than ever to iOS but that, in some cases, would represent a sharp turn in Apple’s own philosophy.
These preliminary conclusions are, for the moment, proposed, and both parties have until January 9, 2025 to present their opinions on each of the two sets of measures (one by Apple, another by the European Union). .
Changes to the notification system. One of the EU’s first proposals regarding iOS is that there be major changes to its notification system. One of the Commission’s criticisms refers to the fact that many of them do not offer complete information when using third-party accessories, such as smart watches.
Changes are required in the push notification service, as well as in the response messages themselves. In other words, you want devices connected to the iPhone, even if they are not in the Apple ecosystem, to have full access to these notifications.
Opening connectivity features. AirDrop, Bluetooth, automatic WiFi connections, AirPlay. The EU wants Apple to open its connections to third parties, including key features like AirDrop. It also wants devices to be able to automatically switch Bluetooth connections, and even automatically activate WiFi.
The consequence: changes in the background. These changes in connectivity are part of an even more relevant change. Allowing apps to control connections translates into giving wings to background executions.
One of the historical features of iOS has to do precisely with this. It is the system that, for better or worse, most restricts connections in the background. On Android there is free rein, on iOS, everything is more controlled.
For users, these changes would be bittersweet. Aspects such as opening notifications are undeniably positive: using third-party accessories with the iPhone is very, very tedious.
But, on the other hand, opening the background is not as simple as the EU suggests. Much of the OS-level stability, security and energy efficiency of iOS comes from this side. Being more closed with the backgrounds has limitations, but it allows the system to be more effective.
It remains to be seen what changes Apple proposes, and what the iOS of 2025 ends up being like.
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