Overview
- Apple CEO Tim Cook and EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen held a recent virtual meeting that the European Commission described as a “constructive exchange” and said talks are continuing.
- Apple has withheld the upgraded Siri AI from iPhones and iPads in the European Union and says it cannot ship those iOS and iPadOS features until a DMA‑compliant solution is found.
- Apple proposed a Trusted System Agent intermediary and an 18‑month transition to protect on‑device data while opening capabilities to rival assistants, but EU officials said the plan lacked concrete technical detail and looked like a request to delay compliance.
- The Digital Markets Act requires designated gatekeepers to give fair access to core device capabilities and carries fines up to 10% of global turnover for breaches, a central legal risk discussed in the talks.
- Europe is a material market for Apple and consumers have pressured regulators, so the outcome could shape how device privacy, competition rules, and U.S.‑EU tech relations are balanced; no timeline for an iPhone or iPad rollout in the EU has been agreed.