If you were wondering why some of the novelty more interesting announced by Apple for operating systems iOS 26 they will not arrive in Europethe answer is rather articulated and has to do with the delicate balance between technological innovation, protection of the privacy and European regulation. Functionality like Live Activities On the Mac – which would allow you to keep an eye on areal -time gciornals directly from the main screen – or theiPhone Mirroringthat is, the possibility of seeing and controlling your iPhone from the Mac (the latter presented last year) were retained by Apple for the European market. The reason mainly lies in the application of the Dma (Digital Markets Act), the European Union legislation designed to make the digital competition between large companies and smaller operators more equitable. The critical point? THE’interoperability: According to the EU, certain functions should also be accessible by “non -Apple” devices.
The giant of Cupertino, however, fears that this can compromise the privacy and safety of the user. And while waiting for the outcome of an appeal that will be discussed in the autumn, Apple prefers suspend in Europe Some of the news presented in the Keynote of 9 June, at least until the margins of application of the legislation are clarified. To all this are also added linguistic obstacles, as for the real -time translation of phone calls or the new function of Screening call. In short, between technical requirements, legal battles and linguistic barriers, iOS 26, iPados 26, macOS 26 And the other Apple operating systems will arrive in Europe with some less features.
The new Apple functions that will not come because of the DMA
There are different new Apple functions that will not come because of the DMA. Let’s start with Live Activitiesthe function that allows you to monitor in real time, for example, the status of a delivery or the arrival of your Uber directly from the computer desktop. After landing on the iPhone, Apple has announced the expansion of this function also to the Macs. But not to our latitudes. Just as the possibility of duplicating the iPhone screen on the computer – function available in the United States for a year – also has never arrived – also Live Activities is destined to stay outside the European market. The motivation is clear: both are built to work perfectly within the Apple ecosystem, while the European Union asks that similar technologies can also be used by third producers. The principle is that ofinteroperabilitythat is, the possibility that different devices, of competing companies, can work with each other without restrictions. But for Apple, who did the Closing of your ecosystem Its “trademark” to ensure data security and protection (as well as to retain its users), this forced opening represents a serious risk.
The question of privacy It is in fact one of the main topics carried out by Apple in defending his choices. Cupertino claims that the DMA requires to share with other databases that Apple itself can not consult today. An example? There chronology of wi-fi networks to which the iPhone has connected. This information, if automatically shared with third -party devices (such as smart glasses), could reveal habits, movements or even sensitive frequency. To date, these data are protected by end-to-end encryption and not accessible even to the company itself. For Apple, allowing others to access it means forcing one of the protections more advanced than its system.
The same logic applies to the notifications: if they were to be shared with non -Apple devices, it would mean that external subjects could access content such as private messages or health data. Apple had proposed an alternative solution: a pop-up warning that asked the user if you agree to sharing. But the proposal was rejected by the EU, which does not want obstacles or deterrent in the interoperability process. And here the background conflict arises: on the one hand there is the European intention to make the more fair competition in the digital world; on the other, Apple’s will not to compromise the safety of one’s ecosystem.
To complicate the picture there are also some Technical obstacles. Apple accuses European institutions of not fully understanding engineering difficulties in making some functions compatible with external devices. An emblematic case is that of Airdropthe quick file sharing system between Apple devices. Opening it to Android phones or Windows PCs is not impossible, but requires a structural rethinking of technology. However, Apple clarified that he does not intend to withdraw existing functions for European customers. Airdropfor now, will remain as it is. But in the future some functions could be launched with limitations or delays, as shown by the news announced during the last Keynote by the team directed by TIM Cookwhich for the moment will not see the light in the old continent.
The linguistic difficulties that will delay the arrival of new Apple functions
In addition to the constraints imposed by the DMA, then there are the linguistic difficulties which slow down the introduction of certain innovations also in Italy. This is the case of simultaneous translation of callswhich already works in English, French, German, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. Our idiom, however, is not yet supported by the model Speech-to-text necessary to transcribe and translate vocal conversations in real time. Same fate for the Screening calla function that filter unwanted calls: When a phone call arrives from an unknown number, the iPhone responds automatically and asks who he is and why he is calling. The information is shown on the screen, and only at that point the user decides whether to respond or not. Again, the problem is the lack of a linguistic model updated For Italian.
