Apple Intelligence not coming to EU this year: Here's why
Apple has indicated a potential delay in the launch of Apple Intelligence AI tools, iPhone mirroring, and SharePlay screen sharing in the European Union (EU) this year. The tech giant attributes this possible delay to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), an EU law that imposes stringent requirements on large online platforms to prevent anti-competitive behavior. There are also rumors that Apple and Meta could soon face charges over DMA violations.
Concern over DMA's interoperability requirements
Apple's concern arises from the DMA requirement that mandates "gatekeepers" to allow third-party companies to interoperate with their services. The company is worried this could lead to compromises in privacy and security. According to Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz's statement to The Verge, "Due to the regulatory uncertainties brought about by the Digital Markets Act (DMA), we do not believe that we will be able to roll out three of these features .... to our EU users this year."
EU responds to Apple's concerns regarding DMA
In response to Apple's concerns, EU spokesperson Thomas Regnier stated that "The EU is an attractive market of 450 million potential users, and has always been open for business for any company that wants to provide services in the European internal market. Gatekeepers are welcome to offer their services in Europe, provided that they comply with our rules aimed at ensuring fair competition."
Details on Apple's upcoming features and beta testing
Apple Intelligence includes upgrades such as improvements to Siri, enhancements to Genmoji, management of notifications, scripted actions across different apps, and text generation and summaries. Sainz confirmed that Apple Intelligence will be available for beta testing this summer. In addition, iPhone mirroring and the expanded SharePlay screen sharing features will be introduced in a developer beta on Monday.
