Apple has filed a legal challenge against a European Union order requiring it to open its ecosystem to competitors, arguing that the demands are unreasonable, costly, and threaten both innovation and user privacy.
The challenge responds to a March directive from the European Commission under the Digital Markets Act, a sweeping regulation aimed at curbing the dominance of Big Tech firms. The Commission’s order requires Apple to grant rival manufacturers of smartphones, headphones, and virtual reality devices access to its technology and mobile operating systems, allowing them to interoperate with the iPhone and iPad.
In a statement, Apple criticized the interoperability requirements, saying they create “a process that is unreasonable, costly, and stifles innovation.” The company added that “these requirements will also hand data-hungry companies sensitive information, which poses massive privacy and security risks to our EU users.”
Apple also claimed the rules unfairly single it out. “These deeply flawed rules that only target Apple, and no other company, will severely limit our ability to deliver innovative products and features to Europe, leading to an inferior user experience for our European customers,” the company said.
Meta, Google, Spotify, and Garmin are among the companies that have requested access to Apple’s user data and systems.
While the legal case may take years to resolve in court, Apple is still required to comply with the EU order in the meantime. The Commission has outlined a timeline and process for how Apple must respond to interoperability requests from app developers.
