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What the EU’s Apple interoperability action actually is
Article 6(7) of the DMA requires designated gatekeepers to give third parties access to operating-system hardware and software features when that access is needed for effective competition. The objective is functional access comparable to what the gatekeeper makes available to its own services or hardware—not unrestricted access to every internal system.
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The Commission opened two specification proceedings on September 19, 2024, then completed them on March 19, 2025. Its interoperability portal lists both Apple proceedings as completed. A specification decision defines the measures a gatekeeper must implement for a particular obligation; it is different from a non-compliance decision, which determines whether the law was breached and can lead to penalties.
These rules are also narrower than several other DMA subjects. Interoperability concerns making a rival device or service work with iOS features. It is not the same as data portability, alternative app distribution, access for rival payment systems, or the general non-discrimination obligation, although those themes can overlap.
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Sources: European Commission interoperability portal and September 2024 announcement.
Why Apple’s operating system matters to competitors
Apple is a DMA gatekeeper for, among other services, iOS and the App Store. iOS controls capabilities that competing smartwatches, headphones, health devices, vehicle systems, virtual-reality headsets and other accessories may need in order to function well with an iPhone.
Apple’s own products can receive deep system-level integration while a rival may be limited to basic app-level interfaces. An API can therefore be technically available without being commercially equivalent. Unclear documentation, discretionary refusals or lengthy negotiations can make nominal access unusable for a smaller company.
The General Court’s July 8, 2026 judgment rejected Apple’s challenges concerning its gatekeeper designation for the App Store and iOS. That judgment did not create the March 2025 technical requirements, but it confirms that Apple’s broader DMA status remains relevant.
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The two proceedings and what they cover
1. Connected physical devices
Decision DMA.100203 addresses specified iOS functionality used by connected devices. The Commission’s materials identify areas including notifications and related interactions, pairing and setup, connectivity, data transfer, peer-to-peer Wi-Fi and near-field-communication-related functions.
The practical beneficiaries could include manufacturers of smartwatches, headphones, health devices, vehicle systems and similar accessories. The decision does not promise every Apple feature to every product. Its annex sets the covered functions, technical conditions, safeguards and implementation deadlines.
Source: DMA.100203 decision.
2. Apple’s request-based interoperability process
Decision DMA.100204 concerns how Apple evaluates requests from developers and businesses seeking access to iOS or iPadOS features. The issue is procedural as well as technical: a company needs to know how to apply, what information Apple requires, when it will receive an answer, why a request is rejected or narrowed, and how to challenge an inadequate solution.
The requirements cover technical and reference information, communications with requesters, predictable stages and timelines, feedback, dispute resolution, and public tracking and reporting.
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Sources: DMA.100204 decision and Commission proceeding page.
How an eligible developer makes a request
Apple directs eligible EU developers to Feedback Assistant or its associated web process. A request is not a general wish for a new API; it must concern access to an iOS or iPadOS hardware or software feature within Article 6(7).
- Define the need. Identify the feature, the product that will use it, the technical access required and why that access is necessary for effective interoperability. Apple says developers should describe the full set of capabilities needed for the product, although Apple may divide the matter into multiple tracked requests.
- Submit through Apple’s designated channel. Include technical details and supporting evidence. Confidential requests may limit what later appears in public reporting.
- Receive an initial assessment. Apple says most requests receive an initial eligibility assessment within 20 working days.
- Work through technical and project stages. For an eligible request, the process includes reference information, technical discussions, a proposed solution and implementation planning under the Commission’s specification.
- Use internal review where available. Apple’s published process allows certain appeals of a rejection or proposed solution, generally within 15 working days of the relevant notification.
- Escalate with evidence if necessary. A developer that believes the process or resulting solution is not effectively interoperable can raise the issue with the Commission under the applicable procedure.
The process does not guarantee access, immediate implementation, access to source code or a worldwide change to Apple’s platforms. Source: Apple’s EU interoperability documentation.
What changes for iPhone users
If implementation and third-party adoption follow, users in the EU could see more capable non-Apple accessories paired with iPhones, better notification handling, easier setup and pairing, and more effective device-to-device connectivity. A person could keep an iPhone while choosing a competing watch, headset or health device with fewer artificial limitations.
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The consumer effect is likely to arrive gradually. Apple must implement the technical measures; developers must obtain access and build against them; hardware, firmware, apps and certification must work together; and Apple must deploy the relevant capability in supported operating-system versions. A Commission decision is therefore not itself a consumer feature.
The geographic obligation is EU-focused. A capability enabled for EU developers or users does not automatically become available in the United States or elsewhere.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Apple’s privacy and security objection
Apple argues that tightly controlled APIs and system permissions protect users. Notifications can contain sensitive messages; device permissions may expose location, health, communications or authentication data; and pairing and connectivity interfaces can create attack surfaces. A third-party device may also have weaker security practices than Apple hardware.
Those are real engineering constraints. The DMA does not necessarily require Apple to remove authentication, encryption, permission controls, certification or other safeguards. The regulatory question is whether safeguards are proportionate to the specific risk, rather than a blanket reason to withhold competitively important functionality that Apple gives its own products.
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The Commission’s goal is effective, not reckless, interoperability: rival products should receive useful access while access is limited to what the feature requires and abuse is controlled. Apple’s privacy rationale and the competition concern therefore have to be assessed together.
Sources: TechCrunch’s September 2024 report and the Commission’s Apple interoperability explainer.
What these rules do not mean
- Not a complete opening of iOS. The decisions cover specified features and functions, subject to conditions and deadlines.
- Not automatic Apple Watch parity. A rival still needs compatible hardware, software and a commercially workable implementation.
- Not sideloading or alternative payments. Those are separate DMA issues.
- Not a worldwide rule. The obligations arise from EU law and may be implemented regionally.
- Not an automatic finding of wrongdoing. The March 2025 decisions were specifications, not interoperability fines.
- Not a guarantee that every request qualifies. A request outside Article 6(7), unrelated to an iOS-controlled capability or framed only as a product enhancement may be rejected.
How compliance should be judged
For developers, investors and users assessing whether the policy is working, the important tests are practical rather than purely formal:
- Functional equivalence: Is the rival device’s access materially as effective as Apple’s equivalent product?
- Timeliness: Can a company obtain access in time for a viable launch?
- Transparency and predictability: Are requirements, reasons and deadlines clear before substantial engineering investment?
- Non-discrimination: Does Apple reserve a meaningful technical advantage for itself?
- Proportionate security: Are controls targeted to genuine risks?
- Cost: Do certification, engineering or administrative burdens effectively deter smaller participants?
- Appealability: Can a requester challenge a rejection or technically inferior solution?
- Real-world adoption: Has a third-party product actually shipped with the capability?
Where things stand in 2026
Apple maintains an EU interoperability-request page, a public tracker for requests received since May 20, 2025, technical-reference summaries and an annual performance report identified on the page as dated March 2026. Those materials show that implementation is an ongoing operational process, not a single software switch.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe Commission portal continues to list Apple’s two March 2025 proceedings as completed. It also lists a July 2026 specification proceeding involving Alphabet and AI interoperability, suggesting that the Apple cases established a regulatory model the Commission can apply to other gatekeepers.
The unresolved question is effectiveness in practice: how many qualifying requests produce working products, whether small developers can use the process, and whether the Commission treats a solution as inadequate when it is technically available but commercially inferior. Consumers should expect changes to depend on specific platform releases and products, not on the headline alone.
Sources: Apple request tracker and reporting and the Commission interoperability portal.
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