The EU Wants Apple To Open Up IOS Even More

The EU is dismantling Apple’s walled garden one brick at a time. According to the EU’s recent announcement, it wants Apple to open up its iOS ecosystem even more to third-party companies and developers.

Opening up iOS

According to the EU, what it wants right now is for Apple to allow even more third-party integration into iOS. More specifically, the EU wants Apple to give third-party devices access to iOS notifications and also a way for companies to create alternatives to Apple’s AirDrop and AirPlay.

This means that if this law passes, future Apple iOS devices can communicate wirelessly without other devices and without having to rely on clunky methods. For instance, with the Oppo Find N5, the company created a method that allowed the phone to communicate with iOS and Mac devices for remote control and file sharing. However, it’s not as seamless as AirPlay and AirDrop.

The EU is asking that Apple support future technologies similar to AirPlay and AirDrop. To be honest, it’s not a huge ask. In fact, Apple seems to be okay with the idea of interconnectivity. The company, together with Amazon, Google, and the Zigbee Alliance, founded Matter, which helps unify and standardize smart home systems.

Other EU requests

This is not the first request from the EU that tries to get Apple to open its iOS ecosystem. Prior to this, the EU had put laws into place that forced Apple’s hand. This includes allowing access to third-party app stores and also implementing USB-C in the iPhone. More recently, the EU put forth a proposal that would essentially force Apple to allow non-Apple Watch devices to work better on iPhones.

Several smartwatches and fitness trackers are compatible with the iPhone. However, they are definitely not as connected or feature-rich as the Apple Watch. The proposal will require Apple to offer more transparency to developers regarding which features are not available to them.

Apple has released a statement to 9to5Mac saying, “Today’s decisions wrap us in red tape, slowing down Apple’s ability to innovate for users in Europe and forcing us to give away our new features for free to companies who don’t have to play by the same rules. It’s bad for our products and for our European users. We will continue to work with the European Commission to help them understand our concerns on behalf of our users.”