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Apple is one of the key companies being probed by the EU under DMA rules, and now the Commission is advising the tech giant on how to make iOS more interoperable.
The European Commission is pushing Apple to open up its software and hardware features to third-party developers and businesses.
The Commission has started “specification proceedings” to assist Apple in making its iOS system more interoperable – a key obligation under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This regulation aims to keep digital markets fair by preventing larger companies from having too much control.
Under DMA regulation, large platforms such as Apple – gatekeepers – must ensure their services are easily accessible by other companies to ensure they don’t abuse their dominant positions or create bottlenecks in the digital economy.
The Commission’s proceedings will specify the measures Apple has to take to ensure it is complying with the DMA. The first proceeding focuses on iOS connectivity features and functionalities, which are mainly used “for and by connected devices”.
The Commission said companies offering connected devices – such as smartwatches and headphones – depend on effective interoperability with smartphones and their operating systems, such as Apple’s iOS.
The second proceeding focuses on the process Apple has set up to handle interoperability requests submitted by developers and third parties. The Commission says the request process needs to be transparent, timely and fair.
The Commission will conclude these proceedings within six months and plans to share preliminary findings to Apple that will explain the measures it should take as a gatekeeper. EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager said this is the first time the Commission has used specification proceedings under the DMA.
“We are focused on ensuring fair and open digital markets,” Vestager said. “Effective interoperability, for example with smartphones and their operating systems, plays an important role in this. This process will provide clarity for developers, third parties and Apple.
“We will continue our dialogue with Apple and consult third parties to ensure that the proposed measures work in practice and meet the needs of businesses.”
Apple has been one of the key companies targeted by the DMA and has had back-and-forth discussions on how it will comply with these rules. Last month, the tech giant made changes to how its App Store operates in the EU, after facing accusations that it was breaching the DMA.
Apple also said EU users will soon be able to delete the App Store and other default apps on iOS and iPadOS. But while the company is changing its policies to comply with the DMA, it still argues against opening up its ecosystem.
“Inevitably, the new options for developers’ EU apps create new risks to Apple users and their devices,” the company said earlier this year. “Apple can’t eliminate those risks, but within the DMA’s constraints, the company will take steps to reduce them,” the company wrote at the time.
“Across every change, Apple is introducing new safeguards that reduce – but don’t eliminate – new risks the DMA poses to EU users.”
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