Apple Withholds AI Features from EU due to Regulations

Apple is withholding a wide range of new technologies from hundreds of millions of consumers in the European Union, citing concerns raised by the bloc's regulatory attempts to rein in big tech companies.

The company announced on Friday that it will block the release of Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring and SharePlay Screen Sharing features to users in the European Union this year, because the Digital Markets Act forces it to reduce the security level of its products and its services.

Apple said in a statement: “We are concerned that the interoperability requirements of the Digital Markets Act may force us to compromise the integrity of our products in ways that threaten users’ privacy and data security.”

Under the Digital Markets Act, Apple is expected to receive a formal warning from EU regulators about how to prevent apps from directing users to cheaper online subscription deals, a practice for which the company received a €1.8 billion ($1.9 billion) fine from regulators in Brussels earlier this year.

The European Union's Digital Markets Act prohibits technology platforms from favoring their services over those of competitors. They are also prohibited from combining personal data across their different services, and are prohibited from using data they collect from third-party merchants to compete against them, and must allow users to download apps from competing platforms.