The European Union has ordered Apple open up key elements of its operating system to enable better interoperability with third-party devices.
Under the decree of the same Digital Markets Act that forced Apple to end App Store exclusivity, the bloc has ordered Apple to open up nine iOS connectivity features for better integration with smartwatches, headphones or televisions made by other companies.
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One of the goals from the legally binding decision is to give all smartwatch models the same privileges that the best Apple Watch models get from connecting to an iPhone.
That means full access to the iOS notifications ecosystem and the ability for apps to work properly in the background. Just yesterday, the founder of Pebble railed against the poor state of affairs for third-party manufacturers trying to make effective devices to work well with iPhones. This decision would change that state of affairs.
It’s a similar story with headphones, with the EU railing against the exclusive features AirPods receive when pairing with the iPhone or easily switching to other devices in the Apple ecoystem. The European Commission wants Apple to stop gatekeeping those features.
The EU also wants Apple to allow third-party manufacturers to benefit from casting and data transfer technologies like AirPlay and AirDrop, meaning rivals could build there own versions of the service for Apple devices. The EU also wants Apple to fully open up access to the NFC chip in the iPhone and offer fast peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections across all platforms.
In a news release today, the Commission states: “As a result [of the interoperability changes], connected devices of all brands will work better on iPhones. Device manufacturers will have new opportunities to bring innovative products to the market, improving the user experience for consumers based in Europe. The measures ensure that this innovation takes place in full respect of users’ privacy and security as well as the integrity of Apple’s operating systems.”
The commission is also requiring Apple to be more transparent about the effectiveness of the efforts to improve interoperability, which will require it to release technical documents on features that aren’t yet available to third-parties.
In a strong response, Apple issued a statement saying the decision will harm innovation.
Apple said: (via 9to5Mac) “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”.
Another EU overeach
Apple users love the ease of connectivity with their first-party devices and I’m one of those users. I didn’t think there was an single thing that’d make me glad the UK left the EU. I’m not saying the bloc’s overzealous actions in the tech realm go that far, but it certainly softens the blow.
