This is a first since the Digital Markets Act (DMA) came into force in March. On Thursday, September 19, the Commission announced the opening of two “specification procedures” against Apple, relating to the interoperability of its iOS and iPadOS operating systems.
These two procedures aim to “to guide Apple towards effective compliance with its interoperability obligations through constructive dialogue,” explains Margrethe Vestager, who is still the Commissioner for Competition for a few more weeks. These discussions will last six months.
To put pressure on, the European executive is reminding us that it can impose fines. And that it can “on his own initiative” impose measures on the seven “gatekeepers”, the seven groups identified as tech giants.
Smartwatches
To strengthen competition in the digital sector, the DMA establishes broad principles that these companies must respect. One of them concerns interoperability between different terminals and software. While much attention has been paid to the interoperability of messaging services, particularly WhatsApp and Messenger, the obligations are broader.
So, the first “specification procedure” The European Commission’s proposal concerns the interoperability of iOS and iPadOS with smartwatches, headphones and virtual reality headsets. This will notably cover notifications, device pairing and connectivity.
The second procedure concerns requests for interoperability between iPadOS and iOS issued by developers and third parties. While Brussels does not specify, this could concern access to the Siri voice assistant and the NFC chip for payments. “It is essential that the application process is transparent, fast and fair”explains the Commission.
Apple vs Brussels
The Brussels initiative could open a period of tense negotiations with Apple. The Cupertino company is trying to limit the interoperability of its devices and services, highlighting security risks. It has already succeeded in excluding iMessage from the scope of the DMA.
In recent months, relations have been very complicated between the two camps. Apple has indeed multiplied incendiary statements against the new regulation. And has decided to postpone the launch on the continent.
For its part, Brussels has already opened formal proceedings against Apple, concerning the practice of anti-steering, which prohibits mobile application developers from redirecting their users to a website in order to make a purchase or subscribe to a subscription. This is now illegal in Europe. A second investigation is underway into third-party application stores.
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