Europe Is Trying to Get Non-Apple Smartwatches to Work Better with iPhones

The European Commission is instructing Apple to make iOS work better with third-party devices like smartwatches and headphones.

The Commission adopted two legally binding decisions Tuesday under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the European competition law that governs large digital gatekeepers. The first decision will give app developers and device manufacturers more access to key iPhone features so that it’ll be easier for third-party gadgets to pair, transfer data, or display notifications. The second will require Apple to be more transparent in general around interoperability, giving developers access to technical documentation about how to make their services work with iPhones and iPads, and making sure there’s a “more predictable timeline” for how interoperability requests are reviewed.

The decisions are separate from the non-compliance proceedings Europe opened against Apple — unlike those kinds of cases, specification proceedings like this one help determine how companies should meet their obligations under the DMA, rather than punishing them for violations. The EU had submitted draft recommendations to Apple in December after launching its proceedings a couple months earlier.

Tuesday’s decisions “mark the first time the Commission outlines concrete measures for a gatekeeper to comply with the Digital Markets Act,” Europe’s executive vice president for clean, just, and competitive transition Teresa Ribera says in a statement. Apple can still fight the decisions, subject to judicial review. “Today’s decisions wrap us in red tape, slowing down Apple’s ability to innovate for users in Europe and forcing us to give away our new features for free to companies who don’t have to play by the same rules,” Apple spokesperson Marni Goldberg says in a statement. “It’s bad for our products and for our European users. We will continue to work with the European Commission to help them understand our concerns on behalf of our users.”

“With these decision[s], we are simply implementing the law, and providing regulatory certainty both to Apple and to developers,” Ribera says. “Effective interoperability for third-party connected devices is an important step towards opening Apple’s ecosystem. This will lead to a better choice for consumers in the fast-growing market for innovative connected devices.”

Source: The Verge