EU forces Apple: iPhone users can choose voice assistants!

EU forces Apple: iPhone users can choose voice assistants!

Vienna, Österreich - Apple faces a fundamental change in the way in which iPhone users can choose their digital voice assistants in the European Union. According to a report by vienna.at , a new EU regulation obliges the company to give users the freedom of choice between different language assistants. So far, Siri has been the only preinstalled voice assistant on Apple devices, but in the future users have the opportunity to select alternatives such as Google Gemini, Amazon Alexa or Chatgpt.

This measure is a direct reaction to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) , which aims to regulate the market power of large technology companies and promote fair competition. The EU Commission has named Apple as a gatekeeper, which obliges the company to make its services more open and to enable third-party services.

The changes by the Digital Markets Act

The Digital Markets Act, which came into force on March 7, 2024, sets clear guidelines for companies that offer central platform services (ZPD). These companies must not prefer their own products and services, do not use their market power and only process data from users with their consent. The regulation is intended to create transparent and competitive markets in the digital sector and ultimately also benefit consumers by benefiting from a larger selection and better services.

The DMA raises requirements for companies that act as a gatekeeper. These requirements include significant influence on the internal market and the operation of a central platform service that serves to end users as an access gate. These changes not only affect Apple, which also includes iPados and Safari, but can also have far -reaching effects on the entire digital landscape.

Apple's reaction and future developments

Apple had already reacted to previous EU requirements in the past, including when adapting browsers, email apps and payment services. With the new edition of the DMA, the company must now also open interfaces for third -party providers, which may also give smaller developers the opportunity to offer their services.

Overall, the changes in the Apple ecosystem should also influence other markets worldwide in the long term if similar regulations are adopted. The upcoming changes could mean that users can expect not only more freedom of choice, but also a better quality of digital assistants and services. The Digital Markets Act could therefore be a crucial step towards a more open and competitive digital future.