On June 28, 2024, Margrethe Vestager, then the European Commission’s competition-policy chief, criticized Apple for withholding Apple Intelligence and two other features from the European Union. She said Apple appeared to be deploying AI “where we’re not obliged to enable competition.” Her comment was a political assessment—not a formal finding that Apple had violated the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The story has since changed: most first-generation Apple Intelligence features reached supported EU devices, while Apple’s next-generation Siri AI was still set to miss EU iPhones and iPads initially in 2026.
What Vestager said about Apple’s EU delay
Vestager made her remarks during a public Q&A at a Forum Europa event in Brussels. Asked about Apple’s “walled garden” and its decision not to introduce Apple Intelligence and related features in the EU, she argued that the company was choosing to deploy AI where it did not face the same obligation to enable competition. She called Apple’s explanation a “stunning open declaration” that the features could be “another way of disabling competition” in an area where Apple already had a stronghold. Contemporary coverage and video of the exchange are available from 9to5Mac and iClarified.
That was Vestager’s interpretation of Apple’s incentives and the possible competitive effects of its decision. It was not a Commission ruling, nor did it establish that Apple had broken the DMA by delaying a product.
Which features Apple withheld in 2024
At WWDC in June 2024, Apple announced Apple Intelligence for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. Apple said it would not bring the features to the EU that year, citing uncertainty about DMA compliance. The announcement also covered iPhone Mirroring and enhanced SharePlay Screen Sharing, which are distinct features and should not be treated as if they raised precisely the same technical or legal questions. Contemporaneous reporting described the regional delay.
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The initial Apple Intelligence hardware list was limited: iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, plus iPads and Macs with Apple silicon. A recent operating system alone did not make every device eligible.
Why Apple said it was concerned
Apple framed the issue as one of privacy, security, and product integrity. Its position was that interoperability obligations could require access to system-level capabilities or sensitive device context in ways that might expose personal data or weaken safeguards. Apple’s broader explanation of its concerns about EU-specific changes discusses risks it associates with malware, fraud, scams, objectionable content, and malicious apps on its DMA and apps in the EU page.
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Those are Apple’s stated concerns, not proof that interoperability would inevitably create those harms. The policy challenge is to make services meaningfully interoperable while protecting user consent, limiting data access to what is necessary, and preserving effective security controls.
What the DMA requires—and what it does not
The DMA applies special obligations to designated “gatekeepers,” large platforms considered important gateways between businesses and users. Apple records its designation for iOS, the App Store, and Safari on September 5, 2023, and for iPadOS on April 29, 2024, on its DMA information page.
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Among other requirements, the law includes interoperability obligations. Under Article 6(7), developers can submit requests for interoperability with iOS and iPadOS features. Apple says it generally provides an initial eligibility assessment within 20 working days for most requests; that is Apple’s stated process, not a guarantee that every request will be approved or completed in that period. Details are on Apple’s iOS interoperability page.
That does not mean the DMA expressly orders Apple to give every competing AI assistant unrestricted access to private device data, nor does the public information establish a blanket requirement to open all of Apple Intelligence to rivals. The European Commission’s DMA citizen Q&A says the law does not prohibit Apple from introducing products or services in the EU. The rollout decision belongs to Apple; if a regulated company launches a product, it must still meet the obligations that apply to it.
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Why Vestager saw a competition risk
Vestager’s concern was about how a system-level AI service might affect competition, not simply whether Apple offered a new feature. Apple controls key parts of its device operating systems and can integrate its own services into the user experience. If Apple’s AI can use valuable device context or occupy prominent entry points while rival assistants cannot obtain comparable access, Apple could reinforce its existing ecosystem advantage. From that perspective, withholding the features in the EU while launching elsewhere looked to Vestager like avoiding a setting where competition rules might require greater openness.
That was a theory about incentives and potential effects—not a finding that Apple had used AI to exclude competitors. Whether a particular interoperability obligation applies depends on the service, the relevant platform rules, and how access is implemented. The DMA dispute does not by itself settle the balance between competitive access and privacy safeguards.
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What happened to Apple Intelligence in the EU
The original 2024 delay no longer describes the whole first-generation product. Apple’s current support documentation says most Apple Intelligence features are available to EU residents on supported devices running iOS 18.4 or later, iPadOS 18.4 or later, or macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later. Availability varies by device, language, and region; Apple lists the applicable requirements in its Apple Intelligence support guide. Mac availability has also differed from iPhone and iPad availability, so “Apple Intelligence is available in the EU” does not mean every feature is available on every device.
The 2024 controversy also covered iPhone Mirroring and SharePlay Screen Sharing enhancements. Their inclusion in Apple’s announcement does not establish that their availability changed on the same schedule or for identical reasons as Apple Intelligence.
The 2026 Siri AI dispute is a separate chapter
On June 8, 2026, Apple announced a more capable, next-generation Siri AI. Apple said it would not initially be available on EU iPhones running iOS 27 or EU iPads running iPadOS 27. The company said EU users would be able to access the new Siri AI on Mac and Apple Vision Pro when using a supported language. Apple’s launch details are in its Apple Intelligence announcement.
Apple blamed the DMA and said the Commission had not accepted its proposed solutions. The Commission’s position, in its public explanation, is that the DMA does not forbid a launch and that Apple chose not to proceed. The two sides therefore again disagree over who is responsible for the delay; Associated Press coverage describes that dispute. This next-generation Siri issue is not evidence that the first-generation Apple Intelligence rollout remained wholly blocked in the EU.
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