Apple wanted 18 months to figure out how to bring its upgraded Siri AI to European iPhones and iPads without running afoul of the Digital Markets Act. The European Commission said no.
On June 9, EU regulators formally rejected Apple’s appeal for an exemption from the DMA’s interoperability requirements, a decision that leaves hundreds of millions of European iPhone and iPad users without access to the company’s next-generation voice assistant for an indefinite period. The ruling landed just one day after Apple confirmed at WWDC 2026 that the updated Siri AI would not ship with iOS 27 or iPadOS 27 in the EU.
What Apple asked for, and what the EU actually said
Apple proposed what it called a “phased intermediary solution” to gradually enable interoperability with third-party digital assistants over 18 months. Regulators weren’t buying it.
The European Commission characterized the proposal as an attempt to sidestep obligations rather than genuinely comply with them. In the Commission’s view, Apple had failed to devise solutions meeting the EU’s privacy and security standards, opting instead for a blanket exemption request dressed up as a compliance roadmap.
