Apple is under pressure from the European Commission and Meta, as they demand that iOS be more open to developers
According to a Bloomberg article, those of Cupertino will be required again by the European Commission in terms of openness that iOS should have compared to its competitors. Apple was clear and responded as a complaint to the requests made by Meta, which in turn would contribute to reducing privacy in its environment. The Commission ordered Cupertino to “rework” iOS in such a way that it is Compatible with other smartwatches, headphones and other devices. Is what the Commission is asking for prudent?
Apple is demanded again by the European Commission, iOS is the ultimate goal
The document published by the European Commission, in which Apple remains under antitrust investigation, orders Cupertino to modify various aspects of iOS in such a way that others developers gain access to technologies exclusively accessible to those in Cupertino.
One of the requests is that Third-party apps can run “completely” in the background. On the other hand, they also require thatDevelopers should “receive more details” on how to access more iPhone featuresas well as an “exclusive contact” to manage access requests. This section includes functions such as AirPlay and AirDrop, the first is already open to TV screens while the second is exclusive to Apple devices. Other new features like iPhone mirroring and Continuity Camera have also been requested. What is not encouraging for Apple is that the On January 9, the European Commission has set the deadline to carry out the consultation again on what was asked.
iOS 18 released in September 2024
Apple criticizes the European Commission and the law on digital markets, accusing them of making this situation “personal”
Those from Cupertino have published a document on the page dedicated to developers stating that the situation they have with the Commission and the Digital Markets Act is becoming personal. Apple is aware that its work is excellent in terms of privacy and security, which it would compromise by the required requirements and would endanger the security of the ecosystem. Opening up technologies to everyone would endanger user data which are on iOS. There is one company that has made a large number of access requests and that is Meta.
Meta attempts to modify functionality in a way that raises privacy and security concerns for users. If Apple granted all of these requests, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp could allow Meta to read all of their messages and emails on a user's device; See every phone call you make or receive, track every app you use, view your files and events, save your passwords, and much more. These are the data that Apple itself has decided not to access to offer the greatest protection to its users.
Meta becomes a problem for Apple
On the Meta side, they claim that Apple is anti-competitive
The company led by Mark Zuckerberg says that They need these iOS accesses for their products to have the best possible experience. This is the case with the Meta Quest and the Ray-Ban Meta.
What Apple is really saying is that it doesn't believe in interoperability. Every time Apple is criticized for its anticompetitive behavior, it defends itself with privacy arguments that have no basis in reality.
Meta Quest from Meta will display spatial videos like the Apple Vision Pro
According to a statement made by Apple in Reuters, Meta filed 15 interoperability requests under the Digital Markets Act. They accuse Meta of “changing features in a way that raises privacy and security concerns for users.”
However, Digital Markets Act says Apple is 'required' to allow developers to submit interoperability requests. In turn, a solution is designed to have efficient access. When the set date arrives, if the Commission detects that Apple has not done enough work A new investigation could be opened and would result in a series of fines this would cost up to 10% of its global sales per year, which has already been repeated ad nauseam.
How will Apple survive this new complication? Will it further open up its mobile operating system for iPhone to respond to pressure from the Commission and Meta? It would be great if Apple could come out of this confrontation without consequences, we will see what happens next month given that Apple wanted to avoid alternative stores and it did not work.
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