The European Union (EU) ordered Apple on Wednesday to take steps to open up its operating systems to competitors in order to comply with the bloc’s digital market regulations.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, laid out two sets of measures aimed at making it easier to for products and devices to work with Apple’s iOS and iPadOS operating systems.
The first set of measures seek to improve the interoperability of connected devices, such as smartwatches, headphones and televisions, with iPhones, while the second attempts to improve the process through which developers obtain interoperability with iPhones and iPads.
The measures mark the first time the commission has attempted to compel a major tech firm to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. The law, which went into effect in 2023, seeks to regulate the biggest digital platforms in Europe.
“Companies operating in the EU, irrespective of their place of incorporation, must comply with EU rules, including the Digital Markets Act,” Teresa Ribera, the EU’s executive vice-president for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, said in a statement.
“Today moves us closer to ensuring a level playing field in Europe, thanks to the rule of law,” she added.
However, Apple pushed back on Wednesday’s decisions, arguing they are “bad for our products and for our European users.”
“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,” the company said in a statement.
The European Commission also found Wednesday that Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is running afoul of the Digital Markets Act on two fronts.
It accused the search giant of preferencing its own services in Google Search, as well as blocking developers on Google Play from steering consumers to cheaper alternatives.
“Let me be clear: Our main focus is creating a culture of compliance with the Digital Markets Act,” Ribera said. “Non-compliance proceedings are reserved for situations where attempts at dialogue have not been successful.”
Google contended that the changes pushed by the commission will hurt European businesses and consumers and expose them to malware and fraud from “bad apps.”
“Today’s findings now increase the risk of an even worse experience for Europeans. The DMA is designed to regulate large platforms like Google, Apple and Meta, and boost competition, but in reality, it is having the opposite effect by hurting European businesses and consumers,” Oliver Bethell, Google’s senior director of competition, said in a press release.
The latest developments out of the EU come after President Trump slammed the bloc as “nasty” during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte last week, pointing in part to its treatment of major U.S. tech firms.
“They sue our companies,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “Apple was forced to pay $16 billion on a case that … like my cases that I won. They shouldn’t have been even cases, but we felt they had no case, and they ended up having an extremely favorable judge and decision.”
“But they’re suing Google, they’re suing Facebook, they’re suing all of these companies, and they’re taking billions of dollars out of American companies,” he continued.
— Updated at 3:20 p.m. EDT
