Apple has formally filed an appeal against the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) interoperability rules, challenging a sweeping mandate it believes compromises both user privacy and product security. This Apple DMA appeal was submitted to the EU General Court in Luxembourg on May 30, 2025, directly opposing the European Commission’s March decision requiring Apple to make iOS interoperable with competing devices such as smartwatches, headphones, and VR headsets.
This legal battle highlights Apple’s escalating pushback against what it sees as a misguided regulatory overreach. In Apple’s words, the DMA rules are “deeply flawed,” risking consumers’ data and penalizing the very innovation that built one of the most secure and tightly integrated ecosystems in tech.
“At Apple, we design our technology to work seamlessly together,” a company spokesperson told TechRepublic in an email. “The EU’s interoperability requirements threaten that foundation, while creating a process that is unreasonable, costly, and stifles innovation.”
“These requirements will also hand data-hungry companies sensitive information, which poses massive privacy and security risks to our EU users.”
What the DMA Demands — and Why the Apple DMA Appeal Matters
Under the DMA, Apple must allow third-party developers to integrate more deeply with iOS — enabling non-Apple devices to display notifications, synchronize faster, and access features typically reserved for Apple hardware. But in its Apple DMA appeal, the company warns that this isn’t about fair play — it’s about exposing users to unnecessary risk.
As reported by MacRumors, Apple argues the requirements compel it to share sensitive data like notification content and complete WiFi histories with competitors — information Apple itself doesn’t collect or use. Compliance would shatter the protective wall that defends users from third-party data misuse and app exploitation.
Apple Intelligence and Other Features Held Back in the EU
The impact of the DMA has already started to shape Apple’s global rollout plans. According to Ars Technica, Apple confirmed that Apple Intelligence, iPhone screen mirroring, and SharePlay screen sharing — flagship features of iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia — will not launch in the EU this year.
Apple says that due to the regulatory uncertainties brought about by the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the company does not believe it will be able to roll out three of these features to EU users this year.
This decision underscores the seriousness of the Apple DMA appeal — Apple would rather delay innovation than compromise security.
AirDrop in Jeopardy: A User-Level Consequence
The fallout doesn’t end with intelligence features. The Tao of Mac reports that Apple may even consider removing AirDrop from EU iPhones if DMA interoperability requirements clash with Apple’s end-to-end encrypted protocol.
This would mean European users could lose one of Apple’s most seamless file-sharing tools — not because it failed users, but because it succeeded too well to be opened up to insecure alternatives. The alternatives, as the article points out, are few, flawed, or nonexistent.
“The EU’s insistence on interoperability in this case seems more like a power play than a genuine concern for user welfare.”
By including AirDrop in its Apple DMA appeal, Apple emphasizes how deeply these rules threaten product experience.
Undermining Consumer Value and Security
If features like Apple Intelligence or AirDrop must be withheld or removed, EU consumers will face diminished product value — all while paying the same premium price as users elsewhere. This is the real cost of regulation that doesn’t understand the systems it governs.
The Apple DMA appeal defends not only Apple’s IP and business logic, but the user-centric model it’s built for decades. Apple’s system is closed for a reason: it minimizes data exposure, hardens defenses, and ensures updates and features run in sync.
Breaking the Architecture
Apple’s concern isn’t theoretical. As highlighted in the Apple DMA appeal, competitors have already requested access to metadata, notification contents, and Wi-Fi history — data Apple does not even store.
This isn’t opening the door. It’s dismantling the house.
If DMA rules are enforced as they stand, Apple fears user expectations will be violated, and trust eroded. Instead of elevating standards, the EU might be introducing loopholes, backdoors, and fragmentation into an ecosystem long praised for its reliability.
Apple DMA Appeal: Compliance Penalties Could Be Severe
Companies found noncompliant with DMA mandates face fines of up to 10% of global annual revenue — which, for Apple, amounts to tens of billions of dollars. In extreme cases, regulators could even order business unit breakups. It’s a high-stakes confrontation. Apple’s appeal isn’t just about surviving regulation; it’s about redefining what modern tech governance should look like — one that respects both innovation and user safety.
Editorial Take: Regulation vs. Reality — A Wake-Up Call for the EU
Apple’s DMA appeal is a warning: you cannot regulate your way to innovation. Europe’s insistence on unlocking closed ecosystems may come from a place of fairness, but it ignores the architectural and privacy realities that made Apple successful in the first place.
If Apple is forced to weaken its standards, it’s not just a loss for the company — it’s a loss for the users who trusted its commitment to excellence. Let’s be blunt: if the EU thinks it can engineer better technology, where is it? Where’s the European smartphone? Where’s the privacy-first operating system that rivals iOS?
Instead of building, the EU is busy rewriting the rules for those who do. That’s not regulation — that’s sabotage. The Apple DMA appeal is a stand against this short-sightedness. If the EU wants to lead, it should innovate. Until then, it should stop breaking what works.
