Three main features in iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia won’t be obtainable to European customers this fall, Apple says. They embody iPhone display screen mirroring on the Mac, SharePlay display screen sharing, and the total Apple Intelligence suite of generative AI features.
In a press release despatched to Financial Times, The Verge, and others, Apple says this resolution is expounded to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Here’s the full assertion, which was attributed to Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz:
Two weeks in the past, Apple unveiled a whole bunch of latest features that we’re excited to deliver to our customers round the world. We are extremely motivated to make these applied sciences accessible to all customers. However, as a consequence of the regulatory uncertainties led to by the Digital Markets Act (DMA), we don’t imagine that we will roll out three of those features — iPhone Mirroring, SharePlay Screen Sharing enhancements, and Apple Intelligence — to our EU customers this year.
Specifically, we’re involved that the interoperability necessities of the DMA might pressure us to compromise the integrity of our merchandise in ways in which threat person privateness and information safety. We are dedicated to collaborating with the European Commission in an try and discover a answer that will allow us to ship these features to our EU clients with out compromising their security.
It is unclear from Apple’s assertion exactly which features of the DMA might have led to this resolution. It might be that Apple is worried that it will be required to provide rivals like Microsoft or Google entry to person information collected for Apple Intelligence features and past, however we’re undecided.
This will not be the first current and main divergence between performance and features for Apple gadgets in the EU versus other areas. Because of EU rules, Apple opened up iOS to third-party app shops in Europe, however not in other areas. However, critics argued its compliance with that requirement was lukewarm at finest, because it got here with a set of restrictions and adjustments to how app builders might monetize their apps on the platform ought to they use these other storefronts.
While Apple says in the assertion it is open to discovering an answer, no timeline is given. All we all know is that the features will not be obtainable on gadgets in the EU this year. They’re anticipated to launch in other areas in the fall.