Earn with Nexo
EU regulators reject Apple’s request for Siri AI rollout exemption
The European Commission denied Apple an 18-month pass on interoperability rules, calling the decision to withhold Siri AI from iPhones and iPads in Europe entirely Apple's own choice.
The European Commission told Apple “no” on June 9, and it wasn’t particularly subtle about it. Apple had requested an 18-month exemption from the Digital Markets Act’s interoperability requirements, essentially asking Brussels for extra time before it had to let third-party virtual assistants play nicely with its ecosystem. The Commission’s answer: figure it out like everyone else.
The rejection lands one day after Apple revealed that its upgraded Siri AI would not ship with iOS 27 or iPadOS 27 in the European Union. Apple pointed to DMA compliance concerns as the reason. The Commission pointed right back at Apple, framing the delay as a corporate decision, not a regulatory inevitability.
What the DMA actually requires, and why Apple can’t dodge it
The Digital Markets Act, which became effective in 2022, is the EU’s flagship effort to prevent Big Tech from using dominant platforms as moats. The DMA designates certain companies as “gatekeepers,” a label Apple has carried since 2023, and forces them to open their platforms to competing services.
Apple proposed a workaround it called the “Trusted System Agent.” The idea, presumably, was to create a controlled pathway for third-party assistants to interact with Apple’s hardware. The Commission wasn’t impressed. The proposed solution failed to meet the compliance standards that the DMA requires, which left Apple in an awkward position: comply fully, or don’t launch.
EU spokesperson Thomas Regnier made the Commission’s position clear, stating that Apple’s decision not to launch Siri AI in the EU is entirely its own.
The selective rollout tells its own story
Siri AI isn’t being withheld from the EU entirely. It will still be available on macOS 27 and visionOS 27 for European users. The delay is specifically limited to iPhone and iPad, the two platforms where Apple’s gatekeeper status creates the most friction with the DMA.
This is also not a new pattern. Apple has encountered repeated delays in rolling out features for its AI tools in Europe since being designated a gatekeeper in 2023. Each time, the company has cited regulatory complexity. Each time, the Commission has framed it as Apple’s choice to prioritize control over compliance.