Apple criticized the EU decision regarding new iOS requirements

The company Apple has sharply criticized the decision of the European Union, which sets new requirements for the compatibility of its products. Representatives of the company emphasized that these limitations could slow down the development of innovations and negatively impact users in Europe.

It was reported by 9to5Mac.

Everything we know about the EU's decision and Apple's reaction

The European Union has issued the warning to Apple, requiring that the tech giant open its iOS operating system to third-party technologies. Such changes are required by the new EU law on digital markets. The company has six months to comply with the requirements, otherwise, an investigation will be launched, which could lead to a revolving fine of 10% of annual profits and up to 20% in case of repeated violations.

Apple believes that the requirements limit its ability to introduce new features, as they force it to transfer them for free to other companies that do not follow the same rules.

"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," it was stated in the company.

Apple is particularly concerned about the requirement to provide third-party companies with access to the iOS notification system. This may lead to the fact that users' messages will end up on the servers of other companies in an unencrypted form, which contradicts Apple's privacy principles.

The company also emphasized that it is subject to much stricter restrictions than other market players. According to Apple, the Digital Markets Act is mainly applied against it, while competitors are free to take advantage of it.

Despite the criticism, Apple has confirmed that it will comply with the new legislation and is already planning to introduce some changes as part of iOS 19.

As a reminder, Apple may release the completely port-free iPhone in the coming years. The company had planned to do it with the iPhone 17 Air, but due to concerns about the EU legislation on USB-C ports, it abandoned the idea. However, experts have researched this law and confirmed that such a device could be legal.

We also wrote that Apple plans to significantly update the interface in iOS 19. The changes will concern the style of icons, menus, apps, and other system elements.