According to 9to5Mac, the European Union is taking direct credit for new interoperability features appearing in the iOS 26.3 developer beta. The European Commission highlighted that two key features were specifically required to comply with the bloc’s Digital Markets Act antitrust legislation. The biggest change is a new “Transfer to Android” system that lets users wirelessly move photos, messages, notes, apps, and even their phone number to a new Android device. The other major addition is “Notification Forwarding,” which allows iPhone notifications to appear on third-party smartwatches, a feature currently exclusive to users in EU countries. The latest Android beta also now mirrors this with its own system for switching to an iPhone. The EU argues these forced openings will create a market for new innovative products and services.
Forced Openness
Here’s the thing: this is the DMA in action, plain and simple. It’s regulatory muscle flexing, and it’s working exactly as intended from Brussels’ perspective. Apple isn’t doing this because it had a sudden change of heart about its walled garden. It’s doing it because the alternative is massive, daily fines. So we’re getting features that, let’s be honest, many users have wanted for years. A seamless way to ditch your iPhone for a Pixel? That’s huge. It basically removes one of the last major friction points of switching ecosystems.
The Real Impact
But who really wins? For the average user in the EU, this is a clear net positive. More choice, less lock-in. For smartwatch makers like Garmin or Withings, getting proper notification support on iPhone is a game-changer that could seriously boost their sales in Europe. It makes their devices suddenly much more viable alternatives to the Apple Watch. For Apple, it’s a strategic retreat in a key market. They’re complying with the letter of the law, often in the most minimal way possible (note the EU-only restriction on the smartwatch feature). They’ll hate every second of it, but they’ll do it. And for other regions? Well, don’t hold your breath. Unless your government passes a similar law, you probably won’t see these conveniences anytime soon.
A New Kind of Innovation?
The EU’s claim that this “encourages innovation” is interesting. Is it innovation when you’re forced to do it? I think it’s more about shifting where innovation can happen. It’s not Apple innovating on its own proprietary connectivity anymore. Instead, it’s creating a standardized door that other companies can now build against. That could indeed spawn a new wave of accessory and service ideas that simply weren’t possible before. But it also comes from a place of compulsion, not collaboration. It’s a fascinating experiment in whether you can legislate a more competitive tech landscape into existence. Only time will tell if the market actually produces those “new innovative products and services” the EU is predicting, or if it just makes the existing players a bit more grumpy and interoperable.
