Apple goes toe-to-toe with the EU: appeal starts for not opening iOS to rivals
The Cupertino giant tried to comply with the Digital Markets Act, but now forces its hand
2' min read
2' min read
After efforts to adapt, the break. Apple has in fact officially filed an appeal against the European Commission's decision to make the iPhone and iOS more interoperable with competing devices. On 30 May, the company filed its legal challenge with the EU Court in Luxembourg, contesting the measures imposed in March as part of the Digital Markets Act. Measures that, as we have written several times, require the Cupertino company to dismantle (and open up) key pieces of an ecosystem that has made Apple great.
A small step backwards: according to new European rules, Apple is obliged to grant third-party developers access to features of the iOS operating system hitherto reserved for its own products. An obligation that breaks the box in which the Californian company has locked the secrets of its success: from Apple Pay to interactions with the Apple Watch.
These are actions that Cupertino has strongly contested, while seeking common ground. Now, however, Tim Cook's company has decided to go to phase two, and appeal against the new regulations. In a statement attributed to a company spokesperson, Apple claims that the regulations risk compromising user security by forcing it to share sensitive data with competitors.
"At Apple, we design our technology to work seamlessly together to deliver the unique experience our users love and expect from our products. The EU's interoperability requirements threaten this foundation, while creating an unreasonable, expensive process that stifles innovation. These requirements will also provide data-hungry companies with sensitive information, which poses enormous risks to the privacy and security of our users in the EU. Companies have already demanded our users' most sensitive data, from the content of their notifications to the full history of all WiFi networks stored on their devices, thus gaining access to personal information that even Apple cannot see'.
According to the American company, in the end, 'these deeply flawed regulations targeting only Apple, and no other company, will severely limit our ability to deliver innovative products and features in Europe, leading to an inferior user experience for our European customers. We are appealing these decisions on their behalf and in order to preserve the high-quality experience our European customers have come to expect".
