Apple has slammed the DMA (Digital Markets Act), claiming the EU law harms iPhone users by delaying new features and creating security risks.
The Cupertino technology giant argues that the law – designed to increase competition – is instead forcing it to make “concerning changes” that compromise the core principles of privacy and simplicity its customers expect.
“At Apple, we’ve always focused on creating technology that empowers people and enriches their lives,” the company stated, emphasising that its products are designed “to be intuitive and simple to use, to work seamlessly together, and to protect people’s privacy and security.”
This tightly controlled environment, however, is precisely what the DMA seeks to dismantle.
The regulation, introduced in 2022, imposes a strict set of rules on designated “gatekeeper” companies to prevent anti-competitive practices and open up digital markets. For Apple, this has meant uncharacteristic changes to open up its iOS operating system, App Store, and the very way its hardware and software interact in the EU.
One of the most immediate consequences for consumers, according to Apple, is a growing list of delayed features. High-profile capabilities powered by Apple Intelligence, the company’s new suite of AI tools, will not be immediately available to its European customers. These include Live Translation with AirPods and the highly anticipated iPhone Mirroring function for Mac. Apple contends that the EU’s DMA interoperability requirements create security risks by jeopardising its on-device privacy model.
The company claims it has not yet found a secure method to extend these features to non-Apple products “without putting all the data on an EU user’s iPhone at risk.” It further warned that “the list of delayed features in the EU will probably get longer. And our EU users’ experience on Apple products will fall further behind.”
Beyond feature delays, Apple’s statement focuses heavily on what it describes as increasing dangers for its users. The DMA mandates that Apple permit “sideloading” and alternative app marketplaces on the iPhone, with the law breaking the exclusive hold of its own App Store. While proponents see this as a victory for choice and developer freedom, Apple paints a grim picture of the outcome.
The company warns of “more risks when downloading apps and making payments,” pointing to other mobile platforms where it says users face prevalent scams and malware. It argues that the unified, curated App Store provides a trusted and simple experience, which is now being fragmented into multiple marketplaces with varying standards. This, Apple suggests, will make it “harder for our EU users to know where an app came from, who’s responsible for it, and what protections apply if problems arise.”
In one of its more incendiary claims, Apple states that for the first time, pornography and unregulated gambling apps are available on the iPhone through these new channels, applications it has “never allowed on the App Store because of the risks they create, especially for children.”
Apple’s complaints extend to new privacy and security risks for iPhone users stemming from data access requests mandated by the EU DMA. Apple alleges it is required to fulfil almost every request from other companies, even those creating “serious risks”. It cites requests for “the complete content of a user’s notifications” and “the full history of Wi-Fi networks a user has joined,” data which could reveal incredibly sensitive personal information. According to Apple, its explanations of these risks to the European Commission have so far been dismissed.
From Apple’s perspective, the DMA is failing to achieve its stated goals. The company argues the EU law is leading to fewer choices as iPhone features are withheld, and less product differentiation as the DMA is forcing Apple to engineer iOS to be more like Android.
“Instead of competing by innovating, already successful companies are twisting the law to suit their own agendas—to collect more data from EU citizens, or to get Apple’s technology for free,” claims Apple.
However, this narrative is strongly contested by regulators and proponents of the DMA. The European Commission’s position is that gatekeepers like Apple have used their dominant position to create closed ecosystems that stifle innovation and limit consumer choice. From the EU’s viewpoint, Apple’s warnings about security risks from the DMA are exaggerated scare tactics designed to protect its highly profitable App Store commission structure.
Critics of Apple’s stance point out that its macOS platform has allowed users to install software from outside a central store for decades without collapse. They argue that with the right safeguards – which the DMA encourages – users can make their own choices without being forced into a single, corporate-controlled channel. Organisations representing smaller developers have celebrated the DMA, seeing the law as an opportunity to reach customers without paying what they consider exorbitant fees and to innovate outside the strict confines of Apple’s rules.
Proponents believe that any short-term user friction is a necessary consequence of dismantling a monopoly and that in the long term, a more competitive market will lead to greater innovation, lower prices, and more power for consumers. They contend that Apple’s claims of being unfairly singled out ignore its immense market power and influence within its own ecosystem, which is the very definition of a gatekeeper under the law.
The conflict represents a fundamental clash of philosophies: Apple’s vision of a perfectly curated and simple “walled garden” that minimises security risks versus the EU’s vision with the DMA of ensuring an open, competitive, and interoperable digital field.
As this regulatory battle unfolds, Apple insists it is fighting to deliver the experience its European users deserve. Yet for now, those users find themselves caught in the middle, facing the prospect of a potentially diminished experience with less – or delayed – iPhone features in the EU compared to the rest of the world.
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