Apple has delayed its new Siri AI on EU iPhones and iPads, but the European Union has not banned Apple Intelligence. Apple says the Digital Markets Act (DMA) makes it unsafe or impractical to give rival assistants comparable access to iPhone and iPad capabilities. The European Commission says the DMA does not prevent a launch and that Apple chose not to release the feature.
The dispute is about interoperability: whether Apple must let competing services use certain operating-system features on terms comparable to Apple’s own assistant, while protecting user privacy and device security. As of August 18, 2026, Apple has announced no EU iPhone or iPad release date for Siri AI. The availability picture is different on Mac and Apple Vision Pro.
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What EU users can and cannot use
The immediate restriction applies to the new, more deeply integrated Siri AI experience—not to every Apple Intelligence feature. Existing Apple Intelligence features may be available on supported EU devices, subject to their individual device, language and regional requirements. Apple’s June 2026 announcements describe Apple Intelligence as a broader collection of capabilities and Siri AI as a separate, platform-specific rollout.
| Platform | Siri AI availability in the EU |
|---|---|
| iPhone | Not initially available on iOS 27 |
| iPad | Not initially available on iPadOS 27 |
| Apple Watch | Not initially available on watchOS 27 |
| Mac | Apple says it will be available when the device is set to a supported language |
| Apple Vision Pro | Apple says it will be available when the device is set to a supported language |
Apple announced these platform distinctions on June 8, 2026. Its initial Siri AI beta is for supported devices set to English, with additional languages to follow; language support for the wider Apple Intelligence feature set should not be assumed to apply to Siri AI. See Apple’s Siri AI announcement and its Apple Intelligence overview for Apple’s feature and compatibility details.
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Apple describes Siri AI as able to understand personal context in messages, email and photos, respond to questions about what is on screen, search across apps and take actions within them. It is designed to use web information for current answers, retain conversational history through a dedicated Siri app, and connect with third-party apps through system frameworks. That operating-system integration—not simply access to a chatbot—is at the center of the interoperability dispute.
Why Apple says the DMA delays Siri AI
In its June 8, 2026 statement, Apple argued that the DMA’s interoperability requirements would mean giving rival virtual assistants direct access to private user data and the ability to control other installed apps without protections Apple considers essential. Apple says Siri AI’s features rely on access to personal context, on-screen information, messages, email, photos and app actions, and that equivalent access for competing assistants could put privacy and security at risk.
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That is Apple’s characterization of the legal and technical consequences, not an established finding that the DMA necessarily creates a privacy vulnerability. The Commission describes interoperability as subject to safeguards, including user consent and measures needed to protect privacy, security and system integrity. The disagreement is therefore not resolved simply by repeating either “the rules require unsafe access” or “there is no security issue”: the parties disagree about what compliance would require and whether Apple’s concerns justify withholding the feature.
What the European Commission says
The Commission’s DMA Q&A for EU citizens says nothing in the DMA prevents Apple from introducing new products or services in the EU. It says the choice not to roll out Siri AI was Apple’s, while also saying Apple must launch new products in compliance with the law. In the Commission’s view, that includes providing third parties access to equivalent features available to Apple’s own products, subject to safeguards such as user consent.
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In other words, the Commission does not accept Apple’s account that the DMA itself bars a Siri AI launch. Its position is that Apple may release the feature but must meet its interoperability obligations. That statement is the Commission’s regulatory interpretation; it is not, by itself, a final adjudication that Apple’s decision not to launch Siri AI violates the DMA.
What “interoperability” means here
Article 6(7) of the DMA requires designated gatekeepers to provide effective interoperability with certain hardware and software features controlled by their operating systems, so third parties can compete with the gatekeeper’s own services. The Commission identifies Apple’s App Store, iOS, Safari and iPadOS among its designated core platform services. Its interoperability portal explains the obligation and the process for developers to request access to features.
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Applied to an assistant, the practical question is whether and how rival services could use capabilities Apple’s own assistant can use—for example, information or actions exposed through apps and the operating system. The Commission’s general interoperability material does not establish that every Siri AI capability Apple has announced must automatically be opened to every competing assistant. Nor does “equivalent access” mean unrestricted access to all user data or Apple’s source code: the Commission says user consent and protections for system integrity, privacy and security remain relevant.
The Commission has previously taken formal steps to clarify Apple’s interoperability obligations. It opened specification proceedings in September 2024 and adopted decisions in March 2025 setting out measures related to interoperability with iOS and iPadOS, including connected devices and the handling of developer requests. A specification decision clarifies how an obligation is to be met; it is not automatically a finding that the company has already breached the DMA. The Commission explains this distinction on its interoperability portal. Apple also describes its developer process on its DMA support page.
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Has the EU found Apple Intelligence anticompetitive?
No final finding that Apple Intelligence or Siri AI is anticompetitive is established by the official material cited here. The regulatory concern is that a company controlling a major mobile platform might reserve valuable operating-system capabilities for its own service, making it harder for competing assistants to offer comparable functions. Apple’s counterargument is that opening access to capabilities involving personal data and app controls may create unacceptable privacy and security risks.
The word “anticompetitive” needs care in this context. It can describe the kind of platform advantage the DMA’s interoperability rules are meant to address; it should not be presented as a completed legal verdict about Siri AI. The Commission’s interoperability specifications and its response to Apple’s delay are distinct from a final non-compliance decision about this feature.
Apple’s €500 million fine, announced by the Commission on April 23, 2025, concerned a separate DMA obligation: App Store anti-steering rules governing how developers can direct users to offers outside the App Store. It was not a fine over Apple Intelligence or Siri AI. The Commission’s announcement of the Apple and Meta DMA decisions describes that separate case.
Why Mac availability does not resolve the iPhone dispute
Apple’s announcement explicitly treats platforms differently: it says EU users can access Siri AI on Mac and Apple Vision Pro with a supported language, while withholding the initial rollout on iOS, iPadOS and watchOS. The Commission identifies iOS and iPadOS as designated core platform services under the DMA. That makes the mobile operating-system ecosystem particularly relevant to the dispute, but the platform split alone does not prove that the law applies identically to every Apple operating system or explain every technical reason for Apple’s rollout choices.
A Mac can provide access to Siri AI, but it is not a mobile substitute for an iPhone or iPad assistant: it does not provide the same mobile context or integration with those devices. Apple Vision Pro is also an availability exception, not a practical workaround for most users.
Quick Recap
What EU users should do now
- Separate existing Apple Intelligence from Siri AI. Check Apple’s feature-specific compatibility and language information; having some Apple Intelligence features does not mean the new Siri AI experience is available.
- Check platform and language requirements. Apple’s stated EU availability differs by operating system, and its Siri AI beta begins with supported devices set to English.
- Consider available alternatives with realistic expectations. Third-party assistant apps or web services can offer chatbot features, but should not be assumed to have Siri AI’s system-level access to personal context, on-screen content or app actions.
- Do not rely on region switching as a workaround. Availability may depend on device region, Apple Account region, operating-system version, language and Apple’s implementation. Apple has not established that changing one setting unlocks Siri AI for EU iPhones or iPads.
- Avoid buying a device solely on an expected mobile launch. Apple has not published a specific EU iPhone or iPad release timetable. A compatible Mac is the Apple platform Apple has identified as available in the EU, but it is a different device category and does not solve the mobile restriction.
How the dispute developed
- September 19, 2024: The Commission opened proceedings to specify Apple’s interoperability obligations under the DMA. See its announcement of the proceedings.
- March 19, 2025: The Commission adopted decisions clarifying measures Apple must take on interoperability with iOS and iPadOS. See the Commission’s announcement.
- April 23, 2025: The Commission announced a €500 million fine for Apple in the separate anti-steering case described above.
- June 8, 2026: Apple announced Siri AI and said its initial EU rollout would exclude iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Apple also said it had no timetable for iOS and iPadOS availability.
- By August 18, 2026: Apple’s published position still identifies Mac and Vision Pro as EU platforms for Siri AI, with no specific iPhone or iPad launch date. The Commission says the DMA does not prevent the launch and attributes the decision not to release it to Apple.
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