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Apple says European Union rules made it unsafe to launch its newest Siri AI on iPhones and iPads. The European Commission says the Digital Markets Act (DMA) does not ban Apple Intelligence: Apple chose not to launch and has not offered a compliant interoperability plan. As of August 18, 2026, the dispute is unresolved, and availability differs sharply by device.
What Apple delayed—and when
The 2024 Apple Intelligence decision
In June 2024, Apple said its newly announced Apple Intelligence features would not launch in the European Union. The broader platform included writing tools, notification summaries, image-generation tools and a redesigned Siri. Apple also withheld iPhone Mirroring and expanded SharePlay screen sharing, citing uncertainty about complying with the DMA and possible privacy and security compromises. Contemporary reporting is available from The Associated Press.
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The 2026 Siri AI decision
Apple’s June 2026 announcement concerned a newer, more capable Siri AI experience—not every Apple Intelligence feature. Apple said Siri AI would not ship to EU iPhones with iOS 27 or EU iPads with iPadOS 27, while saying it would be available to EU users on macOS 27 and visionOS 27. Apple gave no timetable for an iPhone or iPad release. Read Apple’s announcement at Apple Newsroom.
What EU users can get
| Platform | EU status as of August 18, 2026 |
|---|---|
| iPhone with iOS 27 | Siri AI not available at launch, according to Apple |
| iPad with iPadOS 27 | Siri AI not available at launch, according to Apple |
| Mac with macOS 27 | Apple says Siri AI will be available |
| Vision Pro with visionOS 27 | Apple says Siri AI will be available |
| Other Apple Intelligence features | Availability must be checked by feature, device, language and software release |
This is an EU-specific position, not a blanket statement about every European country. The United Kingdom is outside the EU, and device compatibility and language support can independently limit access.
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What the Digital Markets Act has to do with it
The DMA is EU competition law intended to make dominant digital platforms more contestable. Apple is designated as a gatekeeper for iOS, Safari and the App Store; the Commission added iPadOS in April 2024. Apple’s own DMA information is at Apple’s legal page, and the iPadOS designation is documented by the European Commission.
The relevant issue is interoperability. The Commission says Apple must provide third parties with access to equivalent operating-system features, subject to user consent, so Apple cannot use control of iOS or iPadOS to give its own assistant an unavoidable advantage over competing assistants.
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- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
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Apple’s privacy and security argument
Apple says Apple Intelligence and Siri AI are deeply integrated into its operating systems. In Apple’s account, meeting interoperability obligations could require exposing sensitive system capabilities to rival assistants, creating risks to privacy, security and product integrity. Apple says it proposed ways to bring Siri AI to the EU but that the Commission did not accept them. These are Apple’s stated concerns, not a finding that regulators have determined the proposed design would be unsafe.
The Commission’s rebuttal
The Commission says the DMA does not prohibit Apple from launching new products or services. Its position is that Apple made the commercial decision not to launch Siri AI on EU iPhones and iPads, and that Apple requested an 18-month exemption rather than presenting a concrete interoperability proposal it considered compliant. The Commission says an exemption of that kind could entrench Apple’s position while the AI market is developing. Its explanation is set out in the Commission’s DMA Q&A.
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- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — The superfast A16 chip delivers a boost in performance for your favorite activities. And with all-day battery life, iPad is perfect for playing immersive games and editing photos and videos.* Storage starts at 128GB and goes up to 512GB.*
- 11-INCH LIQUID RETINA DISPLAY — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display is an amazing way to watch movies or draw your next masterpiece.* True Tone adjusts the display to the color temperature of the room to make viewing comfortable in any light.
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Does interoperability mean handing over private data?
No. The public dispute is about access to equivalent operating-system capabilities, not an unconditional transfer of every user’s data. Those are separate questions:
- Whether a rival assistant can call a system capability
- Whether it can access particular personal information
- Whether it can perform actions inside another app
- What consent, security controls and other safeguards apply
The Commission’s public explanation refers to user consent. Apple argues that broader access could still create security risks; the Commission rejects the idea that a compliant design necessarily requires compromising user safety.
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Why the App Store dispute is relevant—but different
The AI disagreement sits within a wider Apple-DMA conflict. In June 2024, the Commission issued preliminary findings on Apple’s App Store steering rules and opened an additional investigation into alternative app-distribution terms; see the Commission’s announcement. In April 2025, it fined Apple €500 million for breaching the DMA’s anti-steering obligation, not for withholding Apple Intelligence; see the Commission’s decision. Separate interoperability proceedings cover connected devices and Apple’s process for handling requests, rather than specifically deciding the Siri AI rollout; details are in the interoperability proceedings.
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Apple made the launch decision and says the DMA’s requirements prevent a safe release on those devices. The Commission wrote and enforces the requirements and says Apple can launch if it complies. The practical disagreement is therefore over whether Apple can provide rivals with equivalent access without undermining its privacy and security model, and whether Apple’s proposals met the DMA standard.
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What happens next
Apple says it will continue working toward a European solution. Its June 2026 statement does not provide a release date for Siri AI on EU iPhone or iPad. The Commission says discussions continue. Until the companies reach an arrangement—or a formal decision changes the position—EU users should treat Siri AI availability as platform-specific rather than assume that all Apple Intelligence features are either present or absent.
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