Last month at WWDC 2025, Apple officially announced the next major iOS update—iOS 26. As with all annual updates, this will be a big one. However, for our readers living in the EU, you might not get all the iOS 26 features at launch. This is due to regulatory issues which is part of Apple’s ongoing efforts to comply with the EU’s DMA.
Some iOS 26 features will skip EU
For starters, one of the iOS 26 features that will not be available in the EU at launch is “visited places.” This feature is part of Apple’s update to Apple Maps, which Apple describes as helping users “remember the places they’ve been.”
Apple has stated in its press release that the data from Visited Places is protected by end-to-end encryption. This means that even Apple cannot access the data, which is great news for privacy advocates. However, it seems that maybe this isn’t enough to appease EU officials.
Speaking to EU officials and developers at a workshop in Brussels, Kyle Andeer, Vice President, Apple Legal, said, “We’ve already had to make the decision to delay the release of products and features, we announced this month for our EU customers.” The company also said it is still analyzing other features that might not make the cut in the EU. They are also saying that they are working to find solutions to deliver these features as soon as possible.
EU users are on the losing end
This isn’t the first time that the EU and its regulations have affected Apple and its customers. The company has had multiple run-ins with the EU, resulting in fines and forced changes. One such example is the switch from Lightning to USB-C for charging. Another would be opening up iOS to allow third-party App Stores and supporting outside payment services.
Also, due to the EU’s various regulations, Visited Places isn’t the only iOS feature to skip the region. Features from past releases, such as iPhone mirroring and Live Activities on Mac, still aren’t available for EU users. This means that Apple customers in the EU are paying the same price for the same hardware, but are getting a half-baked experience.
So, who’s to blame here? That’s certainly a topic that’s up for debate. But in the meantime, Apple’s customers are the ones paying the price.
The post Another Year, Another iOS Update the EU Can’t Fully Enjoy appeared first on Android Headlines.
