Siri AI isn't coming to Europe because of a decision by Apple – here's why

In a press release dated 8 June 2026, Apple states that Siri AI will not be available in the EU on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, whilst it will remain accessible to European users on macOS 27 and visionOS 27. The company argues that the European interpretation of the DMA would force it to grant any virtual assistant extensive access to personal data and control over installed apps, to the detriment of privacy and security. Hence the proposal for an intermediary system, called the Trusted System Agent, to manage third-party assistants’ access to the same capabilities as Siri AI in a more secure manner.

The Commission takes a different view of the matter. Article 6(7) of the DMA requires gatekeepers to provide third-party developers and manufacturers with effective and free interoperability, using the same hardware and software functions available to the gatekeeper’s own services. The aim is to prevent Siri AI from becoming the sole agent with deep access to the iPhone, whilst others remain confined to lesser functions.

This is where the issue of ‘malicious compliance’—or ‘hostile compliance’, as the Commission calls it—comes into play. Apple does not formally violate the regulation outright, but applies it in the most punitive or politically costly way possible, thereby shifting user frustration towards the regulator. If a feature is missing, the problem appears to be the law. If a design choice causes friction, the reputational cost is shifted onto the regulation.

The EU also dismisses Apple’s claims regarding privacy and security risks. In its decisions of 19 March 2025 on the interoperability of iOS and iPadOS, the Commission set out measures for connected devices and application procedures for developers, explicitly stating that openness must be achieved whilst respecting the privacy, security and integrity of Apple’s operating systems.

The Commission therefore maintains that privacy and security are best safeguarded through compliant, documented and verifiable architectures, not through temporary exemptions that keep the market closed whilst proprietary products establish a permanent foothold.

For Apple, maintaining close integration between hardware, software, services and privacy is part of the iPhone’s commercial value. For rival developers, however, this very model can become a barrier if only the proprietary assistant has the necessary access to offer truly comparable features. The DMA was created precisely to address these bottlenecks and prevent control of the infrastructure from becoming control of the downstream market.

Apple is not the only major platform to turn regulatory compliance into a political message to users, developers and investors. The Commission has just called on Meta to immediately open up WhatsApp to competing AI systems, pending the conclusion of the Commission’s antitrust investigation. “The decision prevents Meta’s behaviour, which at first glance appears to breach EU competition rules, from undermining competition in this growing market,” the Commission wrote on 9 June.

After removing or scaling back certain search functions in Europe to comply with the DMA, Google argued that the changes required would have worsened the experience for European users

Apple, however, is undoubtedly leading the political battle against EU regulations. At stake are its most fundamental economic interests, which are linked to its tight, integrated control over hardware and software.