Apple warns EU AI rules could affect iPhone security

Apple said this month that European Union efforts to force Google to open more of Android to rival AI services could create privacy and security risks that would also matter for Apple’s own devices. The warning did not come in an iPhone-specific enforcement case. It came in Apple’s submission to a European Commission consultation on draft Digital Markets Act measures for Google’s Android platform. Apple said the proposal had broader implications for how regulators may require operating systems to give third-party AI tools deeper access to device functions. The Commission’s April 27 proposal is aimed at Google, not Apple. But Apple told regulators it had “a strong interest” because it runs iPhone, iPad and Mac operating systems and is also facing EU rules that open parts of its ecosystem to rivals. Apple’s intervention has since been cited in coverage and policy briefings as a warning about what similar access mandates could mean for iPhone security and privacy. (kelo.com) ### What exactly did Apple object to? Apple’s May 13 submission said the Commission’s draft measures for Android raised “urgent and serious concerns.” Reuters reported that Apple warned the measures, if confirmed, “would create profound risks for user privacy, security, and safety as well as device integrity and performance.” (kelo.com) The European Commission said its proposed Android measures would let competing AI services interact with apps on users’ devices and carry out tasks such as sending an email, ordering food or sharing a photo. The draft also said rival AI services could be activated with a custom wake word, rather than relying only on Google’s own tools such as Gemini. (kelo.com) ### Why is Apple talking about a Google case? Apple told regulators it had a direct interest because the Android proceeding could shape expectations for other operating systems. Reuters said Apple highlighted the broader implications for “how platforms must handle third-party AI access.” Apple has already argued in other EU disputes that mandated interoperability can affect how it designs privacy and security protections. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) In a September 2025 statement about the Digital Markets Act, Apple said some EU-required changes had delayed features and forced additional engineering work to avoid exposing user data to other companies or developers. (kelo.com) ### Is this about the EU AI Act or the Digital Markets Act? The May 13 Apple warning was tied to the Digital Markets Act proceeding on Google Android interoperability, not to the separate AI Act transparency consultation that opened on May 8. The Commission’s Android case concerns whether Google must give third-party AI services effective access to key Android capabilities under Article 6(7) of the DMA. (apple.com) The AI Act consultation is a different process. The Commission said on May 8 that it is seeking feedback on draft guidelines for transparency obligations that will apply from Aug. 2, 2026, including disclosure when users interact with AI systems or are exposed to certain AI-generated content. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) ### How does this connect to iPhone security claims? Apple has framed its AI strategy around privacy protections on device and in its cloud systems. In a March 31, 2025 statement announcing Apple Intelligence expansion in the EU, Apple said its AI features rely first on on-device processing and, for larger-model requests, on Private Cloud Compute, which it said extends iPhone privacy and security into the cloud. (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) That does not mean the Commission has proposed the same Android measures for iPhone. It means Apple is arguing, by inference from its filing, that rules requiring deeper third-party AI access at the operating-system level could weaken the controls it says underpin iPhone privacy and security. Apple’s filing made that argument explicitly for Android and said the risks were especially acute for “rapidly evolving AI systems.” (apple.com) ### What happens next in Brussels? The Commission said interested parties had until May 13, 2026 to comment on the draft Android measures. It said the final decision in the Google specification proceeding must be adopted within six months of the Jan. 27, 2026 opening of the case, and that the result will contain final binding measures. (kelo.com) The separate AI Act transparency consultation remains open until June 3, 2026. The Commission said the final code of practice on transparency is expected in June, and the underlying transparency rules become applicable on Aug. 2, 2026. (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) (ec.europa.eu)