EU wants views on plan to force Apple to open up iOS

The European Commission has published draft proposals on how Apple will respond to the interoperability requirements stemming from the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) – proposed measures aimed at areas such as iOS notifications, data transfer and device installation by January 9, 2025 invited to comment on. .

European Union regulators then have until around mid-March to make final decisions on what measures the bloc will take from Apple and when it will provide access to competitors under the DMA’s requirements.

Apple’s iOS, iPadOS, App Store and Safari web browser are subject to rules intended to boost competition by allowing third parties to plug their services into dominant platforms. However, the current interoperability process focuses on Apple’s mobile operating systems, iOS and iPadOS.

Back in September The Commission has announced two “specification procedures” to determine how the interoperability rules will apply to Apple’s main platforms. It published preliminary results on Thursday and launched two consultations: One “Recommended measures for interoperability between Apple’s iOS operating system and connected devices“; and a second”Proposed actions to require interoperability with Apple’s iOS and iPadOS operating systems“.

Among the proposed requirements for Apple are measures to achieve “effective interoperability” with iOS Notifications; background execution; automatic audio switching; data transfer features including high-bandwidth p2p wi-fi connectivity, Airdrop, Airplay, short-range wireless file transfer services and media streaming; features for device setup and configuration, such as proximity-triggered pairing, automatic Wi-Fi connection, and NFC controller.

The Commission also wants Apple to improve the request-based process it has in place for third parties to interact with iOS and iPadOS – which it deals with in a second process.

Actions proposed here include actions aimed at increasing transparency around iOS and iPadOS features and features currently reserved for Apple (for example, by providing information about libraries, frameworks, and daemons); support for interested developers to interact to increase the efficiency and transparency of the request process itself, including measures to improve communications and feedback around requests and any rejections, as well as a conciliation process structure for resolving disagreements; as well as actions aimed at ensuring future interoperability through design interoperability; and actions to provide greater clarity around the timeline for interoperability requests to be processed by Apple to increase predictability and accountability for developers requesting access.

Reached for comment, Apple spokesman Tom Parker emailed five page report sets out the company’s response to the proposals – in which Apple suggests that abuse of DMA interoperability requirements could harm users’ privacy, as it warns: “Data-hungry companies around the world can weaponize interoperability.”

Apple’s lobbying document, too Hits the metaspecifically — as we previously reported — accusing the adtech giant of making too many and overly broad DMA access requests.

Parker also highlighted the following line from Apple: “The magical experiences people love about Apple products are made possible by the time, talent and capital the company dedicates to creating products that work out of the box. These processes will hurt innovation – companies need to be able to compete with each other to make their products work together in new ways that benefit users without giving away their ideas to competitors. Apple is the only company forced to share its innovations in this way with anyone, including those who do not share their commitment to user privacy.”

In the report, Apple often offers developers access to the same tools it has in iOS and iPadOS, but claims that it’s “incredibly important” that the interaction is “made right for our users.”

“That’s why every time we open up developer access to functionality, we think carefully about how to do it to protect users,” Apple claims, adding: “By not giving third parties access without proper protection, some parts of users’ devices can be used by bad actors to steal personal information and or it can open up ways to expose.

Consultation of the Commission on the first specification process notes it specifically seeks technical reviews of the effectiveness of the proposed measures for interoperability between iOS and connected devices, including the effectiveness, completeness, feasibility in practice, and Apple’s proposed timelines for implementing the measures.

In relation to the second consultation, the EU also seeks feedback on timelines and, more broadly, whether the objectives of the proposed measures have been achieved; and if not, how they can be improved.

“The commission will carefully evaluate the feedback provided by stakeholders and Apple. The information received may result in amendments to the proposed measures and will reflect the Commission’s decision on the final legally binding measures applicable to Apple,” the EU added.