Apple has announced it will delay the launch of its flagship AI features, collectively known as “Apple Intelligence,” for its users in the European Union. The decision, which also affects the rollout of iPhone Mirroring to Mac and SharePlay Screen Sharing, is being attributed to regulatory uncertainties stemming from the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
In a statement released Friday, the company explained that the DMA’s interoperability requirements could force it to compromise the integrity of its products in ways that risk user privacy and data security. The DMA, a sweeping piece of legislation designed to promote competition and fairness in the digital market, imposes strict rules on so-called “gatekeeper” companies like Apple. One of its core tenets is requiring dominant platforms to allow for third-party services and software to interoperate with their own.
Apple expressed concern that these mandates could create new vulnerabilities. “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,” an Apple spokesperson said. The company stated it aims to collaborate with the European Commission to find a solution that allows it to deliver these technologies to its EU customers without compromising their safety.
This move marks a significant development in the ongoing tension between Big Tech and global regulators. For millions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac users across the EU’s 27 member states, the delay means they will not get to experience the highly anticipated on-device and server-based AI features when they launch elsewhere this fall. The decision underscores the real-world impact of digital regulations on product roadmaps and the challenge for tech giants to navigate a fragmenting global regulatory landscape.
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