EU to guide Apple in providing support for third-party headphones, watches

The European Commission, a branch of the European Union, wants to ensure Apple products like iPhones and iPads interact properly with headphones and smartwatches not designed by Apple. This is something Apple must comply with under the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

The commission announced Friday, Sept. 20, it is starting two “specification proceedings to assist Apple in complying with its interoperability obligations.” But first, what is interoperability?

Amazon Web Services has a good primer on the subject. It says: “Interoperability refers to the standards, protocols, technologies, and mechanisms that allow data to flow between diverse systems with minimal human intervention. It allows diverse systems to talk to each other and share information in real time.”

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Under Article 6 of the DMA, “gatekeepers,” which are large digital companies the EU deems to have the most impact on the digital economy — of which Apple is one — must provide free and effective interoperability to third-party developers and businesses. In this case, the EU refers to those who have developed hardware and software features controlled by Apple’s operating systems.

The purpose of the proceedings is for the commission to create a plan for Apple to follow through with its DMA obligations.

The first proceeding focuses on iOS features and functions such as “notifications, device pairing, and connectivity.” The commission said companies offering third-party products “depend on effective interoperability with Apple’s phones and systems.”

The second proceeding focuses on the process Apple has set up to address interoperability requests submitted by developers. The commission said it is “crucial that the request process be transparent, timely, and fair.”

The commission said it would conclude the proceedings within six months, at which point it will explain its findings to Apple and release a non-confidential summary to the public. Should Apple ultimately not comply with the DMA obligations, it faces up to a fine of 10% of its global annual turnover.

Apple released a statement to Tech Crunch, saying it has built over 250,000 APIs to allow developers to build apps for its operating system.

“To comply with the DMA, we’ve also created ways for apps in the European Union to request additional interoperability with iOS and iPads while protecting our users,” Apple said. “Undermining the protections we’ve built over time would put European consumers at risk, giving bad actors more ways to access their devices and data.”

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In a statement along with the EU’s announcement, the European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager spoke about keeping digital markets fair:

“Today is the first time we use specification proceedings under the DMA to guide Apple towards effective compliance with its interoperability obligations through constructive dialogue. 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. This process will provide clarity for developers, third parties and Apple. We will continue our dialogue with Apple and consult third parties to ensure that the proposed measures work in practice and meet the needs of businesses.”

Apple said it will continue to work constructively with the commission on a path forward that protects both its European users and clarifies the regulation.