Tim Cook stepped in personally. On June 30, the Apple CEO held a video call with Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice-president for technological sovereignty, security and democracy. Both sides called the discussion constructive. Yet Siri AI remains unavailable on iPhones and iPads across the European Union.
The standoff centers on the Digital Markets Act. Apple announced in early June that its overhauled Siri, powered by Apple Intelligence, would skip the EU launch of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 later this year. The company blamed regulators for rejecting multiple proposals designed to let rival virtual assistants operate alongside the new Siri without exposing user data. Apple Newsroom laid out the position in plain terms: under the Commission’s interpretation of the DMA, Apple would have to grant any virtual assistant direct access to private data and control over other apps, without the safeguards needed to protect users.
Short sentence. Long one that traces how this demand flows from the DMA’s gatekeeper rules aimed at promoting choice yet collides with Apple’s tightly controlled architecture that has defined its reputation for privacy. The EU sees interoperability as non-negotiable. Apple sees it as a security risk that could let third parties read messages, handle purchases or act across applications. The result? European users get left behind. Again.
Virkkunen and Cook’s meeting produced warm language but little movement. An EU spokesperson told reporters the virtual session involved a “constructive exchange on topics of common interest, on which the work continues,” according to Reuters. The The Next Web described the exchange as cordial, fitting for Cook’s final months before John Ternus takes over as CEO. No breakthrough. No timeline for when Siri AI might arrive on EU iPhones.
But the friction runs deeper. Apple had proposed a “Trusted System Agent” as an intermediary. This layer would let third-party assistants tap similar capabilities to Siri while preserving protections. The company even suggested a phased 18-month rollout to implement it safely. Regulators said no to every idea. Financial Times reported that the talks focused on how Apple could launch the reinvented Siri in Europe while dodging fines that can reach 10% of global annual turnover for DMA violations.
The Commission pushed back hard weeks earlier. In June it rejected Apple’s request for an 18-month exemption from interoperability obligations. “The decision not to roll out Siri AI in the EU is Apple’s and Apple’s only,” spokesperson Thomas Regnier said then, per Reuters. Nothing in the DMA stops new product launches, the EU maintains. Apple simply failed to build compliant interoperability that meets privacy and security standards, officials argue.
Analysts and industry groups have weighed in. The delay shows the DMA producing less competition, not more, Dirk Auer of the International Center for Law and Economics wrote on June 9. Law & Economics Center highlighted how the rules appear to penalize Apple’s integrated approach. Consumer advocates and some lawmakers question whether European users will suffer while regulators and one of the world’s most valuable companies trade diplomatic statements.
Privacy Versus Open Access
Apple’s stance rests on a core principle. Its devices limit what apps can see and do to reduce attack surfaces. Opening Siri-level access broadly invites exactly the data leaks and unauthorized actions the company has spent years preventing. The Trusted System Agent was meant to thread that needle. Third parties get functionality. Users keep controls. Yet the Commission views such an intermediary as insufficient under the law. Direct access is the point.
This isn’t the first clash. The EU has already fined Apple €500 million over App Store practices and continues to pressure Google on Android choices. The DMA was written to curb gatekeeper power. Its application to AI features, however, exposes gaps. The law predates the current generation of on-device intelligence. Rules crafted for app stores and browsers now govern sophisticated personal assistants that handle sensitive context across a phone.
So Siri AI ships on macOS 27 and visionOS 27 in the EU. It skips the two platforms that matter most to everyday consumers. WatchOS may follow. The message is clear: the regulatory burden falls heaviest on the iPhone.
What’s Next for Transatlantic Tech Relations
Both sides say talks continue. Cook’s direct involvement signals Apple’s seriousness about finding a path forward before his departure. Virkkunen’s team frames the meeting as progress on shared interests. Yet the core disagreement persists. Apple wants time and flexibility to protect its security model. The Commission demands faster, broader opening of its designated gatekeeper systems.
Recent coverage shows the dispute gaining traction beyond Brussels. 9to5Mac noted the diplomatic tone masks an unresolved impasse. Industry observers warn that prolonged delays could push European developers and users toward alternatives, ironically undermining the DMA’s goal of fostering local competition. Others see it as a preview of how AI regulation might fragment global product rollouts.
European consumers wait. Apple iterates. Regulators hold the line. The June 30 call bought time. Whether it leads to technical compromises or further escalation will shape not just Siri’s European future but the broader balance between innovation safeguards and mandated openness. For now the feature that Apple bills as profoundly more capable stays on the far side of the regulatory divide. And users notice.
Tim Cook’s EU Summit on Siri AI Leaves 450 Million Users in Regulatory Limbo first appeared on Web and IT News.
