The European Commission has adopted two decisions under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) specifying the measures that Apple has to take to comply with certain aspects of its interoperability obligation.
Interoperability enables a deeper and more seamless integration of third-party products with Apple’s ecosystem. It is therefore key to opening up new opportunities for third parties to develop innovative products and services on Apple’s gatekeeper platforms. The aim is that as a result, a wider choice of products will be available to consumers in Europe which are compatible with their Apple devices.
The Commission has set out the measures it says are needed for enabling interoperability with iOS for third-party connected devices and to streamline the process put in place by Apple to handle future requests for interoperability with iPhone and iPad devices.
Connected devices
The first set of measures concerns nine iOS connectivity features, predominantly used for connected devices such as smartwatches, headphones or TVs. The measures will grant device manufacturers and app developers improved access to iPhone features that interact with such devices (e.g. displaying notifications on smartwatches), faster data transfers (e.g. peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections, and near-field communication) and easier device set-up (for example, pairing).
As a result, connected devices of all brands should work better on iPhones. Device manufacturers will have new opportunities to bring innovative products to the market, improving the user experience for consumers based in Europe. The Commission says this will respect users’ privacy and security as well as the integrity of Apple’s operating systems.
Effective process for interoperability requests
The second set of measures aims to improve the transparency and effectiveness of the process that Apple devised for developers interested in obtaining interoperability with iPhone and iPad features. It includes improved access to technical documentation on features not yet available to third parties, timely communication and updates, and a more predictable timeline for the review of interoperability requests.
Developers will benefit from a fast and fair handling of their interoperability requests. The measures will accelerate their ability to offer a wider choice to European consumers of innovative services and hardware that interoperate with iPhones and iPads.
Next steps
The specification decisions are legally binding. Apple is required to implement the specified measures in accordance with the conditions of the decisions. The specification decisions set out the timing for the implementation of the specified measures and the steps that Apple must take.
