Apple to skip Siri AI on iOS and iPadOS in the EU at launch due to DMA concerns
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| Photo courtesy: Apple |
EU can still access Siri AI on macOS, visionOS, watchOS
Apple has announced that it will not be able to ship its latest Siri AI in the European Union with the release of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27.
Released on June 8, Apple described Siri AI as an entirely new version of Siri, powered by Apple Intelligence. Its capabilities include the new dedicated app to revisit conversations, an expanded Visual Intelligence experience, integrated tools for writing, and Siri mode in Camera on iOS.
However, the new feature will not be shipped to the EU due to the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The tech giants stated that EU regulators did not accept any of Apple’s proposed solutions to bring Siri AI to the EU while ensuring the safe support of other virtual assistants.
This means that when iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 launch later this year, users in the EU will not have access to Siri AI. EU users will be able to access Siri AI on macOS 13, visionOS 13, and watchOS 13.
Developers located in the EU will not be able to test or use the new Siri AI features for their apps on iOS and iPadOS.
Siri AI is private by design and deeply integrated across Apple’s platforms using on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute, which extends the privacy and security of iPhone into the cloud.
However, under EU regulators’ interpretation of the DMA, Apple would have to give any virtual assistant direct access to users’ private data — and the ability to directly control other installed applications — as soon as Siri AI is made available in the EU.
This will cover the ability to read and send messages, make purchases, access files, and execute actions across any app.
Given the serious risks to users, Apple designed Trusted System Agent, an intermediary that would allow virtual assistants to safely access the same features and capabilities as Siri AI for devices in the EU. Apple also shared a plan to launch Siri AI in the EU while gradually rolling out this new solution over 18 months.
However, the European Commission did not agree to any of Apple’s proposals.
"Our hope is to eventually bring Siri AI to the EU, and we will continue to engage with EU regulators on a path forward. However, their refusal to engage constructively on solutions that preserve privacy and security means we do not currently have a timeline for Siri AI’s availability on iOS and iPadOS in the EU," said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering.
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Source: Apple
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