With iOS 26.2 and watchOS 26.2, Apple is removing a key Wi-Fi sharing feature from iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union due to interoperability requirements under the Digital Markets Act.
This news was first reported last month by French publication Numerama. The report explained that starting with iOS 26.2 and watchOS 26.2, iPhone won’t be able to sync Wi-Fi history to a newly-paired Apple Watch like it can now.
Here are more details on how exactly this will work and why Apple is making the change.
How it works today
Typically, when a user sets up a new Apple Watch, their Wi-Fi network history is automatically shared from their iPhone. This means the user doesn’t have to manually connect to new Wi-Fi networks and enter passwords directly on their Apple Watch. Everything is seamlessly handled in the background.
Apple says that Wi-Fi sharing between iPhone and Apple Watch is designed to be private. Apple doesn’t have access to Wi-Fi names or passwords. Everything is handled completely privately between a user’s respective devices.
This is key because there’s a lot of information that can be gleaned from knowing which Wi-Fi networks a person has connected to. That information can be used to easily create a profile on users tracking their interests, where they’ve visited, and more.
This is how things will continue to work everywhere except the European Union.
What’s changing in the EU
In the EU, however, things are changing because of the interoperability requirements under the DMA. Starting with iOS 26.2 in the EU, when a user sets up a new Apple Watch, their Wi-Fi network history will no longer sync from their iPhone.
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