Apple Delays AI Features in the EU, Citing Digital Markets Act Apple’s latest artificial intelligence features are once again skipping the European Union, sharpening a standoff between the company and EU regulators over how far competition rules should reach into core system functions.

Early proposals and regulatory pushback

In the months leading up to WWDC 2026, Apple negotiated with the European Commission over how to bring its rebuilt Siri AI and broader Apple Intelligence suite to EU users while complying with the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Apple argued that the Commission’s interpretation of the DMA would force it to open iOS and iPadOS so that “any virtual assistant” could gain the same deep system access as Siri AI — including reading and sending messages, making purchases, accessing files, and acting across apps — but “without … essential protections” for user control and visibility.

To address those concerns, Apple proposed a new “Trusted System Agent,” an intermediary layer meant to let rival assistants safely tap into the same capabilities as Siri AI on EU devices, plus a phased rollout over 18 months. But according to Apple, EU regulators rejected “every proposal” it put forward over several months.

The June 2026 decision

Hours after unveiling Siri AI at WWDC 2026, Apple confirmed that the assistant will not ship on iPhone or iPad in the EU when iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 arrive later this year, marking the second DMA-related delay for Apple Intelligence features in Europe and “this time there is no timeline.” The features will, however, be available to EU users on macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27, reflecting the DMA’s designation of iOS as a gatekeeper platform.

Competing narratives

Apple frames the delay as the direct result of an “extreme interpretation of the DMA,” claiming it would otherwise have to give third‑party assistants “direct access to users’ private data — and the ability to directly control other installed applications” the moment Siri AI launches in the EU, despite Siri AI being “private by design” through on‑device processing and Private Cloud Compute.

EU officials have not publicly detailed their counter-argument in these reports, but the dispute highlights a core tension: Apple insists it cannot comply without undermining privacy and security, while regulators appear focused on ensuring rivals get equal, interoperable access to the most powerful parts of iOS.

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