Apple has implemented its threat not to bring new AI functions to iPhones in the EU for the time being. “Apple Intelligence” is now integrated into the first beta of iOS 18.1, but the operating system blocks innovations as long as the iPhone or iPad is in one of the 27 EU member countries. In this case the operating system says, “Apple Intelligence is currently not available in your country or region.”
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Waiting list for Apple Intelligence – but not in the EU
Outside the EU, developers and beta testers can sign up for Apple Intelligence on a waitlist and are usually activated within a short time. Apart from the supported hardware – iPhone 15 Pro (Max), M1 to iPad – the only requirement is that the region and language are set to USA or US English.
Apple announced this blockade in June: due to “regulatory uncertainties” caused by the Digital Market Act, some functions will probably not be able to be brought to Germany and other EU countries this year. The new interoperability requirements will potentially undermine security and data protection. However, Apple did not get more specific. The Digital Market Act stipulates that gatekeepers such as Apple must also have interfaces across platforms for such fundamentally new services and functions so that competition from rival providers is possible.
For (former) ink fans: LAMY’s smart iPad penEU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager interpreted Apple’s functional blocking as a virtual admission of guilt, saying it was evidence that “this is another way to eliminate competition.”
Apple Intelligence is available in macOS
Beta testers in the forum are currently looking for ways to activate Apple Intelligence on their iPhones in the EU. However, the lock apparently runs deeper into the operating system: Similar to alternative app stores and sideloading only available within the EU, iOS checks various signals to determine location – including WLAN, location services and mobile networks in the area.
In contrast, Apple intelligence can be easily tested by changing the language and region settings to USA or US English in the beta of macOS 15.1 without any further disturbances – even with German Apple accounts. Why Apple handles this so differently remains an open question. Only iOS and iPadOS fall under the new rules of the Digital Markets Act because so-called central platform services are so far excluded – the user group is too small.
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