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Apple and the European Commission have traded blame over the delayed launch of Apple’s upgraded Siri AI service in the European Union, turning the Digital Markets Act into a direct test of whether EU technology regulation affects consumer access to new artificial intelligence tools.
The dispute followed Apple’s announcement that its new Siri AI features would not be available on iPhones and iPads in the EU when iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 are released. In a statement published after its developer conference, Apple said that, due to the Digital Markets Act, it would not be able to ship Siri AI in the EU at the same time as in other markets.
Apple said it had spent several months trying to find a way to bring the new service to EU users while also supporting rival virtual assistants. It argued that the Commission had not accepted any of its proposed solutions. The company said the delay applied to iPhone and iPad users in the EU, while the upgraded Siri would still be available on other Apple platforms, including Mac, Apple Watch and Vision Pro.
The Commission rejected Apple’s argument. An EU spokesperson said the Digital Markets Act did not prevent companies from launching new products and that Apple had chosen not to release the service in the EU. According to Reuters, Brussels also said Apple had sought an 18-month exemption from its DMA obligations rather than presenting a fully compliant solution.
The disagreement matters because it moves the DMA debate away from abstract competition rules and into the consumer market. For EU users, the immediate question is whether they will receive Apple’s new AI functions later than users elsewhere. For Brussels, the issue is whether a major platform company is using product delays to put political pressure on EU regulators.
Apple’s new Siri AI forms part of its broader attempt to recover ground in artificial intelligence. The updated assistant is designed to be more conversational, more aware of on-screen content, and better integrated across Apple devices and services. It is intended to operate within Apple’s privacy model, using on-device processing where possible and controlled cloud-based processing where needed.
That model now collides with one of the central obligations of the Digital Markets Act: interoperability. The DMA requires designated gatekeepers to open parts of their platforms to rivals under certain conditions, with the aim of reducing dependence on closed ecosystems. In the case of virtual assistants, the Commission wants competing services to have fair access rather than being excluded by default.
Apple argues that allowing rival AI assistants deeper access to its devices could create risks for privacy, data security and user control. The company’s position is that AI assistants are not ordinary apps: they may need to read messages, understand screen content, interact with other applications and take actions across a device. In Apple’s view, those capabilities require stronger safeguards before third-party access can be granted.
Brussels takes a different view. The Commission says the DMA is intended to prevent dominant platforms from using privacy and security arguments to protect their own services from competition. It has repeatedly argued that compliance is possible and that gatekeepers must adapt their systems to meet the law rather than seek exemption from it.
The clash also has a wider commercial dimension. Apple has a large European customer base and earns a substantial share of its revenue from the region. If EU users are denied or delayed access to major AI features, the dispute may become visible not only to regulators and lawyers but also to consumers comparing product functions across markets.
This is not the first time Apple has delayed AI or device-integration features in Europe while citing EU regulation. In 2024, the company delayed the European launch of certain Apple Intelligence features, iPhone mirroring and SharePlay screen-sharing improvements, also pointing to DMA requirements. At the time, the Commission disputed the suggestion that EU rules made such features impossible.
The latest dispute therefore strengthens an existing pattern. Apple says Europe’s regulatory framework is creating uncertainty around advanced device-level AI. Brussels says Apple is responsible for designing compliant services and cannot suspend features as a means of avoiding legal obligations.
The case also comes as the EU is under pressure to show that its digital rulebook can support innovation while restraining the market power of large technology companies. The DMA was designed before the current wave of consumer AI services became central to competition between platforms. The rise of AI assistants now makes interoperability rules more complex, because access to device functions may also mean access to sensitive personal data.
For European policymakers, the risk is that the dispute becomes evidence for critics who argue that EU regulation slows product launches and leaves consumers behind. For Apple, the risk is that regulators view the delay as a strategic refusal to comply rather than a genuine technical or privacy problem.
No immediate resolution is expected. The Commission has made clear that it will not grant a broad exemption, while Apple has not given a launch date for Siri AI on iPhones and iPads in the EU. Unless one side changes its position, European users may become the first visible test case in the conflict between AI product design, platform control and EU competition law.
