EU wants Apple to open up gates for ‘rivals’

Apple had long resisted bringing USB-C on the iPhone, but the European Union arm twisted the iPhone maker to replace the Lightning cable with USB-C. However, it did not want to accept that it happened that way. Instead, it brought the universally accepted USB-C, built into Apple products for years, to the iPhone. Voila, the same cable can charge Mac, iPad, and iPhone (AirPods, too). The EU is happy that Apple finally made the move, but it has one more request.
Thierry Breton, the Commissioner for Internal Market, tweeted after a meeting with Tim Cook on Tuesday, asking Apple to “open up gates to competitors.”

Apple has long maintained a closed ecosystem for its hardware and software products. However, according to Breton, this is no longer feasible under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is the European Union’s latest regulation promoting competition.
There are six “gatekeepers” of the EU’s digital market act, and Apple is one of them and is required to follow a slew of strict guidelines. One of the conditions is the gatekeepers must allow users to remove pre-installed apps and replace them with third-party alternatives, which means Apple would have to open their devices, especially iPhones, to sideloading.
“Be it the electronic wallet, browsers or app stores, consumers using an Apple iPhone should be able to benefit from competitive services by a range of providers,” Breton told Reuters after his meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook.
The EU commissioner dismissed Apple’s argument that its closed ecosystem maintains user security and privacy, claiming EU regulation allows innovation while maintaining security and privacy. “EU regulation fosters innovation, without compromising on security and privacy,” he said.
iOS 17 was said to bring sideloading on iPhones, but that has not happened. It is said that Apple could enable sideloading in the coming versions of iOS 17, but that may only remain limited to Europe to comply with the regulations.