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Apple has called for the European Commission to repeal a swathe of technology legislation, warning that unless it is amended the company could stop shipping some products and services to the 27-country bloc.
In the latest of a series of clashes with Brussels, the iPhone maker said the Digital Markets Act was leading to a worse experience for Apple users, exposing them to security risks, and disrupting the seamless way Apple products work together.
The Silicon Valley company hit out in a submission to the commission’s review of the three-year-old anti-monopoly legislation, which is intended to regulate the gatekeeper power of the largest digital companies including search engines, app providers and messaging services.
It said it had already delayed the launch of features such as live translation through AirPods and mirroring iPhone screens on to laptop because of the act’s demands for interoperability with non-Apple products and services.
“The DMA means the list of delayed features in the EU will probably get longer, and our EU users’ experience on Apple products will fall further behind,” it said. Apple added that Brussels was creating unfair competition as the rules were not applied to Samsung, the largest smartphone provider in the EU.
Among the requirements of the DMA is that Apple ensures that headphones made by other brands will work with iPhones. It said this has been a block on it releasing its live translation service in the EU as it allows rival companies to access data from conversations, creating a privacy problem.
Apple said the DMA should be repealed or, at a minimum, replaced with more appropriate legislation. It did not specify which products could in future be prevented from being distributed in the EU, but said that the Apple Watch, first released a decade ago, might not be released today in the EU.
It is the latest clash between the California-based company and the European Commission. Earlier this year, Apple launched an appeal against a €500m fine imposed by the EU for allegedly preventing app developers from steering users to cheaper deals outside the app store.
In August the US president, Donald Trump, threatened tariffs against unspecified nations in retaliation to rules binding US tech companies.
He said in a post on Truth Social: “I will stand up to Countries that attack our incredible American Tech Companies. Digital Taxes, Digital Services Legislation, and Digital Markets Regulations are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology.
“They also, outrageously, give a complete pass to China’s largest Tech Companies. This must end, and end NOW!”
Apple said that under the DMA, “instead of competing by innovating, already successful companies are twisting the law to suit their own agendas – to collect more data from EU citizens, or to get Apple’s technology for free”.
It said that rules under the act affected the way it provided users access to apps. “Pornography apps are available on iPhone from other marketplaces – apps we’ve never allowed on the App Store because of the risks they create, especially for children,” it said.
The European Commission was approached for comment.
