EU tells Apple to open up to rivals to explain how

BRUSSELS: EU antitrust regulators on Thursday launched an investigation into whether Apple is complying with groundbreaking rules requiring the company to open up its closed ecosystem to rivals or face hefty fines.

Under the so-called specification procedure, the European Commission will determine what Apple must do to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into force last year.

“Today, for the first time, we are using the DMA’s specification process to guide Apple towards effectively fulfilling its interoperability commitments through constructive dialogue,” Margrethe Vestager, head of the EU’s antitrust commission, said in a statement.

The European competition authority said the first investigation concerns iOS connectivity features and the functionality of smartwatches, headphones, virtual reality headsets and other internet-connected devices.

“The Commission intends to determine how Apple will ensure effective interoperability for features such as notifications, device pairing and connectivity,” the press release reads.

The second proceeding concerns how Apple handles interoperability requests from developers and third parties for iOS and iPadOS. Both processes are expected to be completed within six months.

“It is important that the application process is transparent, timely and fair so that all developers have an efficient and predictable path to interoperability and can innovate,” the Commission said.

Apple said it would continue to cooperate constructively with the Commission, but also warned of the risks.

“Weakening the security we have built over the years would put European consumers at risk by giving bad actors more ways to access their devices and data,” the statement said.