DMA.100203 - Consultation on the proposed measures for interoperability between Apple’s iOS operating system and connected devices Skip to main content
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DMA.100203 - Consultation on the proposed measures for interoperability between Apple’s iOS operating system and connected devices

The Commission is consulting third parties on the proposed measures that Apple is to implement to ensure effective interoperability between iOS and connected devices, as required by Article 6(7) of the Digital Markets Act (“DMA”).

Details

Status
Open
Opening date
Deadline

Target audience

All citizens, companies and organisations are welcome to contribute to this consultation. The Commission especially welcomes contributions from companies that are directly affected by the scope of these proceedings, namely those that develop and market connected devices, such as smartwatches, headphones, and virtual reality headsets.

Why we are consulting

The DMA is a new European legislation that aims to make digital markets fairer and more open, including by opening closed ecosystems. The DMA applies to gatekeepers, which are companies operating large digital platforms that play an important role in the digital economy and act as gateways for other companies to access end users. Apple is one of such gatekeepers as concerns its operating systems iOS and iPadOS. 

Amongst others, the DMA requires gatekeepers to provide interoperability with and access to software and hardware features of designated operating systems such as iOS. To assist Apple in enabling such interoperability, the Commission opened proceedings on 19 September 2024 to specify measures that Apple must implement to comply with its interoperability obligations under the DMA. The procedure focuses on interoperability between iOS and connected devices, such as smartwatches, headphones, and virtual reality headsets. The Commission’s case reference is DMA.100203

On 18 December 2024, the Commission addressed its preliminary findings to Apple, including the draft measures that Apple should take to ensure effective interoperability with iOS for connected devices. A case summary and the proposed measures are available in the Reference documents section below. 

The Commission is now seeking feedback from interested third parties on the proposed measures in relation to the iOS features in the scope of these proceedings, namely notifications, background execution, automatic Bluetooth audio switching, high-bandwidth peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections, AirDrop, AirPlay, close-range wireless file transfers, media casting, proximity-triggered pairing, automatic Wi-Fi connection, and NFC functionality.

In particular, the Commission seeks views on the technical aspects of the measures:

  • The effectiveness of the measures in practice: if implemented, will the proposed measures result in effective interoperability with iOS for each feature?
  • The completeness of the measures: if anything else is needed to ensure effective interoperability for the relevant feature?
  • Feasibility of the measures: would there be any difficulties or obstacles in implementing each relevant proposed measure in your connected device or app?
  • Timelines: is the proposed timeline for Apple to implement each proposed measure achievable?

The Commission will carefully assess the feedback provided by interested parties and Apple. The input received may result in adjustments to the proposed measures and will feed into the Commission’s decision on the legally binding final measures applying to Apple. The Commission will adopt a final decision within 6 months of opening the proceedings.

Respond to the consultation

This consultation concerns interoperability between iOS and connected devices, such as smartwatches and headphones. The Commission is organising a separate consultation on Apple’s process for requesting interoperability with iOS and iPadOS (case reference DMA.100204).

 

You can send your contributions to EC-DMA@ec.europa.eu or submit your contributions through EU SEND. Your submission must include the reference “DMA.100203 – Consultation”.

The deadline to respond to this consultation is 9 January 2025.

Your submission must include the name of your organisation, a description of your activities, and explain what applications or connected devices you develop for which you seek interoperability with iOS, or state more generally what your interest is in these proceedings. 

Your submission must be fully non-confidential. All contributions will be made available to Apple for comments. The Commission may contact you with follow-up questions on your feedback.

If you consider that you need to submit any confidential information to the Commission on the subject matter of this consultation, this confidential information must be submitted separately from your main contribution in this consultation, which must be a stand-alone document. You must also submit a non-confidential summary of such supplementary confidential submission. Supplementary confidential submissions should not include technical input about the proposed measures.

Reference documents

  • 18 DECEMBER 2024
DMA.100203 - Case summary
  • 18 DECEMBER 2024
DMA.100203 - Overview of proposed measures

Additional information

Frequently asked questions


What is a specification proceeding?

A specification proceeding is an instrument to formalise the regulatory dialogue between the Commission and the gatekeepers with the aim to assist in effective compliance with the DMA.

The proceedings aim to assist the gatekeeper in their compliance effort by detailing the measures that a gatekeeper must take to effectively comply with the obligations specified in Articles 6 and 7 of the DMA. The Commission has six months to conclude the specification proceedings.

The legal basis for a specification procedure is Article 8(2) of the DMA.

What are preliminary findings?

Within three months of the opening of the specification proceedings, the Commission communicates its preliminary findings to the gatekeeper, in this case Apple. In the preliminary findings, the Commission explains which measures it considers that Apple should implement and the reasoning for the proposed measures.

At the same time, the Commission makes the proposed measures and a summary of the reasoning public, and requests that third parties provide comments on the proposed measures.

Based on the feedback from Apple and third parties as well as further investigative steps, the Commission then may adjust the proposed measures. Within six months from the opening of the specification proceedings, the Commission shall adopt its final decision with the binding measures for Apple.

The legal basis for preliminary findings is Articles 8(5) and 8(6) of the DMA.

Are there any other ongoing specification procedures?

The Commission has also opened separate specification proceedings in relation to the process Apple must implement to effectively comply with its interoperability obligations.  

The case reference for these other proceedings on Apple’s interoperability process is DMA.100204.

The Commission is organising a separate public consultation on the proposed measures in this case.

Can I submit a single contribution for the two consultations (DMA.100203 and DMA.100204)?

If you intend to make contributions relating to both cases, please submit two separate contributions according to the instructions on each consultation page. This allows the Commission to allocate your submission to the correct case file.

Why must my contribution be non-confidential?

The Commission can only rely on non-confidential submissions to reason the final decision in the specification proceedings. In addition, consultation feedback must be made available to Apple in order for Apple to express its views on third-party input and take it into consideration when developing interoperability solutions. Therefore, it is important that contributions are non-confidential.

Will my contributions be made public?

Your contribution will not be made public. Apple will be granted access to your contribution, to allow them to provide feedback on your contribution. The Commission may reference it in its final decision.

Where can I find more information about the Digital Markets Act?

More information about the Digital Markets Act is available on its website:

https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/index_en