For the best operation on iPhone, you are recommended to buy accessories that are truly designed for iPhone with MFI certification. This sometimes makes smartwatches, and earphones from other parties face various issues so that users prefer to choose Apple Watch and AirPods. Yesterday the European Union (EU) published a document asking Apple to open up the iOS ecosystem to allow third-party accessories to be better supported on Apple-made devices.
This was done under the umbrella of the Digital Market Act (DMA) which aims to combat practices that are seen as anti-competitive and cause harm to users. Among other requests from the EU is asking Apple to allow third-party applications to run in the background. Currently, only Apple applications are allowed to do so.
In addition, the EU document also asks Apple to provide AirDrop and AirPlay support on devices using different operating systems. Apple has been given until January 9, 2025 to conduct consultations to make the recommended changes to comply with the DMA.
Apple has published an official statement saying that this request by the EU will pose a risk to the security and privacy of their users. User data can also be accessed by third parties without guarantees that privacy will be respected due to the DMA request.
In this case, it is difficult to balance the need to maintain user security and privacy while at the same time allowing them the freedom to use third-party accessories.