Apple has filed an appeal against an EU decision ordering the company to make iOS more interoperable with devices, apps, and products from third parties. These
interoperability requirements are part of the
EU’s Digital Markets Act, and their purpose is to make products from third parties as easy to use on iPhones as Apple’s own products.
The European Commission outlined its final set of interoperability requirements for Apple in March 2025, and the iPhone maker, which is determined to protect its walled garden, had until May 30 to appeal. According to the
Wall Street Journal, Apple did so on the deadline day to avoid fines of up to 10% of its worldwide annual turnover.
The EU Commission’s interoperability requirements are pushing Apple to allow open up iOS in various ways: That includes the ability to receive iOS push notifications with pictures and reply to them on all smartwatches, making non-Apple connected devices easier to pair, and allowing developers to integrate alternatives to Apple’s AirDrop and AirPlay services into their iOS apps.
In a statement shared with the Wall Street Journal today, Apple explained that the interoperability measures mandated by the EU’s DMA are “deeply flawed.” In short, the company doesn’t want its competitors to be able to replicate the seamless experience it can deliver to consumers using its products together. Moreover, Apple argues that the interoperability requests from businesses and developers could force the company to share sensitive information with its rivals.
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