The European Commission is pleased with Apple’s iOS 26.3 – two of its features in particular, that is.
The European Union’s watchdog said that two of the features introduced in the iOS 26.3 beta were a result of an EU investigation into Apple’s terms for connected devices.
“The DMA creates new opportunities for developers to bring to market innovative products and services in Europe. This is another step towards a more inter-connected digital ecosystem to the benefit of all EU citizens,” an EC spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal.
One of the two features in question is Notification Forwarding for third-party smartwatches, which we’ve covered here.
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The other feature the EC probably refers to is Proximity pairing, allowing users of iOS devices to easily pair with third-party devices, similarly to how you pair AirPods to your iPhone.
There’s also a feature called Transfer to Android, allowing users to transfer their data to an Android device in an easier way.
Apple’s iPhone Fold isn’t even announced yet, and Samsung might already be working on a competitor
I can’t remember when a new version of iOS was this focused on compliance with European rules. All three new features have to do with Europe’s Digital Market Act (DMA), which Apple isn’t very happy about.
All of these new features will only be available for customers in the European Union. Apple’s iOS 26.34 is currently in beta, and will probably become available in January.
