While users in most regions are getting Apple’s next-generation Siri AI with iOS 27, iPhone and iPad users in the European Union will have to wait.
Apple says the delay is due to requirements under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). This is a law designed to make digital markets more competitive and tackle dominance of large tech companies.
The DMA primarily targets tech giants such as Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft, requiring them to open up parts of their platforms and provide users with more choice.
According to Apple, the DMA would require third-party AI assistants to gain access to the same system capabilities used by Siri AI. Apple argues this could create privacy and security risks, as AI systems may potentially access messages, files and actions across apps.
To address these concerns, Apple says it proposed a solution called Trusted System Agent, which would act as an intermediary layer between AI assistants and the operating system. The company also proposed launching Siri AI in the EU while gradually rolling out the new framework over an 18-month period.
Unfortunately, Apple says the European Commission did not agree to any of its proposals.
As a result, Siri AI will not be available at launch for iPhone and iPad users in the EU.
Apple SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi said, “We’re deeply disappointed that our EU users won’t have Siri AI on iPhone or iPad when we share our new software releases later this year.”
He added, “Our hope is to eventually bring Siri AI to the EU, and we will continue to engage with EU regulators on a path forward. However, their refusal to engage constructively on solutions that preserve privacy and security means we do not currently have a timeline for Siri AI’s availability on iOS and iPadOS in the EU.”
However, this isn’t an all out ban. Apple says Siri AI will still be available in the EU on supported Mac devices running macOS 27 and on Apple Vision Pro running visionOS 27.
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