EU Wants Apple to Give Third Parties Operating System Access

European regulators want Apple to open its operating system to third-party developers.

The European Commission began a pair of “specification proceedings” to ensure the tech giant is meeting the interoperability standards of Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), according to a Thursday (Sept. 19) press release.

“Under the DMA, Apple must provide free and effective interoperability to third-party developers and businesses with hardware and software features controlled by Apple’s operating systems iOS and iPadOS, designated under the DMA,” the release said.

The first proceeding centers on several iOS connectivity features and functionalities, mainly used for and by connected devices such as smartwatches, headphones and virtual reality headsets.

“Companies offering these products depend on effective interoperability with smartphones and their operating systems, such as iOS,” the release said. “The commission intends to specify how Apple will provide effective interoperability with functionalities such as notifications, device pairing and connectivity.”

The second proceeding will examine whether Apple’s process for addressing interoperability requests from developers and third parties for its operating system is transparent, fair and timely, the release added.

“Today is the first time we use specification proceedings under the DMA to guide Apple toward effective compliance with its interoperability obligations through constructive dialogue,” Margrethe Vestager, the commission’s head of competition policy, said in the release. “We are focused on ensuring fair and open digital markets. Effective interoperability, for example with smartphones and their operating systems, plays an important role in this.”

The DMA, designed to increase competition in the digital economy, caused Big Tech companies to scramble to comply with the new set of regulations when they went live in March.

Last month, Apple announced a series of operating system changes for European users designed to comply with the law. For example, Apple will now provide more information about browsers to users who view the choice screen, an update shown to all EU users who have Apple’s Safari browser set as their default browser.

The company also plans to introduce new default settings for dialing phone numbers, sending messages, translating text, navigation, managing passwords, keyboards and call spam filters, while also giving EU users the ability to delete five of its apps: the App Store, Messages, Photos, Camera and Safari.