“, a senior editor following news across tech, culture, policy, and entertainment. He joined The Zero Byte in 2021 after several years covering news at Engadget.
Jun 21, 2024, 5:53 PM UTC
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Illustration: Cath Virginia / The Zero Byte
Apple says upcoming features like its “, and SharePlay screen sharing may not be available in the European Union this year, as reported previously by ” (DMA), says Apple, citing the EU law that puts strict requirements on the “gatekeepers” that control massive online platforms to block anticompetitive behavior. Recently, ” saying those gatekeepers must let third-party companies interoperate with their services could “force” compromises over privacy and security.
Here is the statement sent to The Zero Byte by Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz:
Two weeks ago, Apple unveiled hundreds of new features that we are excited to bring to our users around the world. We are highly motivated to make these technologies accessible to all users. However, due to the regulatory uncertainties brought about by the Digital Markets Act (DMA), we do not believe that we will be able to roll out three of these features — iPhone Mirroring, SharePlay Screen Sharing enhancements, and Apple Intelligence — to our EU users this year.
Specifically, we are concerned that the interoperability requirements of the DMA could force us to compromise the integrity of our products in ways that risk user privacy and data security. We are committed to collaborating with the European Commission in an attempt to find a solution that would enable us to deliver these features to our EU customers without compromising their safety.
Contacted about Apple’s statement, EU spokesperson Thomas Regnier responded saying, “The EU is an attractive market of 450 million potential users, and has always been open for business for any company that wants to provide services in the European internal market. Gatekeepers are welcome to offer their services in Europe, provided that they comply with our rules aimed at ensuring fair competition.”
What specifically causes the concerns is unclear, but Apple Intelligence alone covers upgrades to Siri, “, managing notifications, taking scripted actions across different apps, as well as text generation and summaries. Sainz also reiterated that Apple Intelligence will be available for beta testing this summer, while iPhone mirroring and the expanded SharePlay screen sharing features will roll out in a developer beta on Monday.
Update, June 21st: Added comment from EU spokesperson.