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Apple keeps challenging its interoperability obligations under the DMA
on: 2026-04-20
A new FSFE report exposes how 56 interoperability requests under the Digital Markets Act have produced no concrete solutions by Apple, and how their declines contradict their own official documentation, leaving third-party developers locked out of iOS and iPadOS, despite European Commission’s latest specification decision.
CC-BY-SA 4.0. by Rahak for FSFE.
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE)’s report “The challenges of regulating interoperability. Analysing Apple’s request-based approach under the Digital Markets Act” sheds lights on how Apple has been implementing the interoperability obligations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Under the European Commission (EC)'s latest rules, third-party developers can formally request access to Apple's platform. This report looks at how Apple has handled those requests in practice. The evidence of the report is based on public data from Apple’s public tracker, implemented as a requirement of the regulatory framework.
Despite the EC's clear requirements under the Digital Markets Act, the FSFE's report finds that, as of 22 March 2026, not one of 56 formal interoperability requests has resulted in a solution. Developers requesting access to Just-in-Time compilation, NFC protocols, and Bluetooth Low Energy Audio, for example, have seen their requests denied often because the features in question “fall outside of the scope of the law”. Despite the company's own technical documentation, which points in the opposite direction. The report elaborates on the shortcomings of Apple's request-based approach in relation to effective interoperability: Apple’s model requires developers to navigate account creation, fees, detailed requests, internal review, and potentially long implementation timelines, fearing sudden and unreasoned closure of their developer accounts during the whole process.
The report argues that while the regulatory framework issued by the EC on interoperability represents a progress, requiring transparency and due process obligations from Apple, governance issues, as pointed out, will arise in the future. Therefore, the report calls for open standards, transparent procedures, and stronger regulatory enforcement so that Free Software developers can participate on fairer terms within the mobile ecosystem.
“Despite being legally required by the European Commission, Apple continues to obstruct effective interoperability. Out of 56 requests, not a single one has resulted in a new interoperability solution. Developers are denied access to Just-In-Time-Compilation, NFC, or Bluetooth Low Energy Audio with arguments contradicting Apple’s own documentation. And there is the constant fear for developers to lose their developer accounts. The DMA must be implemented in a developer-friendly way, ensuring that legal obligations translate into fair and equal access to iOS and iPadOS features.” Matthias Kirschner, FSFE President
“Interoperability only works when it is built into the platform from the start. The European Commission’s regulatory framework to facilitate interoperability between Apple and competitors is a good step forward. Or report sheds lights on the challenges faced by software developers under this new framework.” Lucas Lasota, FSFE Legal Programme Manager
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