Due to DMA competition rules: No AI Siri for EU iPhones
When iOS 27 launches in the fall, many features will be missing in Germany. Apple points the finger at the EU Commission.
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Déjà vu with Siri AI: Apple is not bringing the new version of Siri to iPhones and iPads for EU users for the time being. At the launch of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, many of the AI functions announced on Monday evening will be missing in Germany and the other 26 EU member states, as the manufacturer announced.
The introduction of Apple Intelligence was also delayed in the EU two years ago; at that time, Apple delivered the AI functions in spring 2025 instead of autumn 2024. However, Siri AI is also set to come directly to the EU in macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27.
DMA implies iPhone opening for other AI models
EU regulators had not accepted any of the proposals on how Apple could bring Siri AI to the EU and at the same time securely support other virtual assistants. Unlike macOS, iOS and iPadOS have been classified as gatekeeper services by the EU Commission and are therefore subject to stricter competition rules. This includes, for example, granting competitors similar opportunities on the platform that are otherwise only available to the manufacturer – in this case, providing a system-wide AI system with comprehensive access to user data.
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Apple had specifically proposed a "Trusted System Agent" for this purpose, with which other AI models would receive the same capabilities as Siri AI. The company wanted to implement this over a period of 18 months, but the European Commission rejected it, writes Apple.
EU mandates Android AI interoperability
This further conflict between Apple and EU regulators was already foreseeable: the Commission recently called for interoperability in AI in a finding procedure against Google – Android must open up to other AI models at the system level. Apple immediately responded with sharp criticism, warning that such extensive opening to other AI systems would endanger user data.
At the same time, Apple emphasized its intention to continue bringing Siri AI to iPhones in the EU, but there is no timeline for this. Siri AI is intended to incorporate the user's personal context for the first time, using information from emails, chats, and the address book, for example. According to Apple, the AI-powered Siri will be capable of performing actions in apps in the future. The manufacturer states that the AI system is still designed in such a way that neither Apple nor others can view the data. Apple's Private Cloud Compute will, for the first time, run not only in Apple data centers but also with other cloud providers and on Nvidia and Intel hardware, as the company announced on Monday.
(lbe)
