Apple iOS 26: Some Features Delayed in Europe

It has long been known that iPhone Mirroring and SharePlay Screen Sharing features are not available in Europe. Live Activities, introduced with macOS Tahoe 26 , have been added to the list. Apple has confirmed that European users will also not be able to use some new features in iOS 26 .

It's all the "fault" of the Digital Markets Act

The first two features listed (iPhone Mirroring and SharePlay Screen Sharing) were not available in previous versions of iOS and macOS. macOS Tahoe 26 introduced Live Activities that display real-time information from your iPhone in the Mac menu bar. When the user clicks on the activity, it displays in iPhone Mirroring.

None of the three features are available in Europe because Apple does not meet its interoperability obligations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). In practice, it must offer the same features to competing devices and operating systems. The Cupertino company recently filed an appeal .

Apple's lawyers have confirmed that some new features in iOS 26 will not be available in Europe for the same reason, when the final version of the operating system is released. One of them is Visited Places in Apple Maps . It allows users to record the places they have been. They will be displayed on maps and used by artificial intelligence to better understand the daily route in order to suggest the preferred one when the user is on his way home or to the office, notify him of any delays and propose alternative routes.

Apple says that the interoperability requirement could compromise user security . The Californian company has yet to assess which other features will not be available in Europe. The European Commission has set a timeline for the implementation of the changes. The first ones must be made by 2025 with iOS 26.

Apple has been fined 500 million euros for violating the DMA. On June 26, it introduced some changes and new fees for developers.