EU orders Apple to open up to rivals

The US tech giant could face significant fines if it fails to make its operating systems accessible to competitors

The EU has warned Apple to open up its iPhone and iPad operating systems to third parties or face hefty fines. Antitrust regulators at the European Commission launched specification proceedings against the US tech giant on Thursday.  

The bloc’s watchdogs have demanded that Apple comply with the EU’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires operating systems to be fully functional with other technologies.   

“Today is the first time we use specification proceedings under the DMA to guide Apple towards effective compliance with its interoperability obligations through constructive dialogue,” Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s antitrust chief, said in a statement. “Effective interoperability, for example with smartphones and their operating systems, plays an important role in this.” 

The competition enforcer noted that the first proceeding targets iOS connectivity features and functionalities for smartwatches, headphones, virtual reality headsets, and other internet-connected devices. 

Read more

The second proceeding is related to the interoperability of Apple’s operating system and how it allows third party developers to access iPhone and iPad features such as Siri voice commands and the payment chip. 

According to Reuters, the European Commission hopes to wrap up the proceedings within six months, by which time Apple is expected to comply with the rules and re-engineer its services. 

If Apple fails to step in line with the DMA rules, Bloomberg has reported that Brussels could launch a formal probe, potentially leading to fines of up to 10% of the tech giant’s annual global turnover. 

Apple has responded by stating that it has already created ways for developers to request additional interoperability with its systems while protecting user security. The California-based company has also warned that undermining the protections it has built into iOS could put European consumers at risk and give “bad actors more ways to access their devices and data.”