iPhone users in the EU lose access to new features, Apple warns the UK could be next

Apple has issued a stark warning that users of some of its most popular products could soon lose access to a swathe of new and popular features. It's already happened in the EU with numerous upgrades, such as the newly announced Live Translation on AirPods Pro 3, being blocked. The issues stem from the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and laws that have been introduced in the EU in a bid to make it easier for smaller companies to rival the big technology giants.

It's also aimed at stopping so-called "walled gardens" where devices such as the Apple Watch and AirPods only work properly with iPhones.

The DMA wants Apple to abide by its interoperability rules which basically means all accessories will pair seamlessly with all devices no matter who makes them.

Explaining more, the DMA said: "The objective is that devices, apps and products from third parties can be used on an iPhone as seamlessly as Apple's own products.

"The specification decisions adopted today support Apple in achieving this objective, by detailing how to securely allow third parties to use certain features that are so far only available to Apple devices."

It might sound like a perfect solution to consumers who might fancy using an Apple wearable but also want an Android phone in their pocket rather than an iPhone.

Unsurprisingly, Apple does not agree.

"It has undermined privacy and security of users in a way that is unlike anything we've ever seen," said Greg "Joz" Joswiak, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Marketing.

The US firm prides itself on security, along with making products that are simple to use and rarely go wrong.

By opening up its more closed ecosystem, there are concerns that users will be more prone to issues - device safety could also be compromised.

"It really does come down to governments attempting to redesign our products," Joswiak told Express.co.uk.

"The European Commission has had a fairly radical interpretation of the DMA, and it has resulted in some pretty unintended consequences for users in the EU, developers in the EU, and us."

One of the biggest problems for those living in the EU is that they currently don't get access to some of the latest upgrades, including iPhone Mirroring on the Mac (which beams a live image of the iPhone's screen onto Apple's PCs) and the recently announced Live Translation on AirPods. This does what it says on the tin, with a voice translating foreign coverstations in real time via the AirPods.

To make this technology work, there needs to be tight integration between the buds and the phone. It's hugely complex, and it appears that if Apple can't let this system work with other devices, like Pixel and Galaxy phones, it won't ship it in the EU.

"At WWDC this year, we started talking about live translation, the ability to have translation in our apps, including a really cool use of that with AirPods Pro 3," Joswiak explained.

"Live translation that happens in your conversation via your AirPods. Guess what? You can't ship that in the EU.

"This is the predicament that happens when you say that these things have to be interoperable on day one, or you can't ship them.

"Unfortunately, we've got millions of our European customers who are pretty frustrated about it. I don't blame them."

"I'm frustrated, too. It's not in our interests. People who say are you holding this back to be punitive?

"No, it's not in our interest to hold any features back from our users. But we have to do it in compliance with the laws and the rules that we've been given, where we can't ship it."

These EU rules don't yet apply to the UK, and it's unclear what changes might come to Britain in the future, but it seems the UK risks similar hold-ups if the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) copies Europe.

"There are a few governments outside of the EU, considering rules around interoperability," Joswiak added.

"And they want to give themselves the power to reengineer our products, and to take away from them what makes them special."

The EU has also just rejected a number of interoperability waiver requests from Apple including iOS Notifications, Proximity Pairing, File Transfer Measures, Automatic Wifi Connection and Automatic audio switching.

Apple thinks this is another example of how the DMA puts user privacy and security at risk while forcing the firm to give away its technology for free.

"The European Commission's actions continue to undermine the privacy and security of users in Europe, threaten the highly integrated experience our users love, and require Apple to give our intellectual property to our competitors for free," Apple said in a statement.

"European regulators are demanding that we hand over highly personal information-for example, forcing us to give third parties access to the complete list of Wi-Fi networks each user has ever joined, along with decrypting the sensitive contents of their notifications.

"At every turn, the Commission has rejected our substantial concerns about mandates that are bad for users privacy and security in order to give a few large competitors unfettered access to Apple's innovations and our users personal information."