EU Commission Blames Apple for Siri AI’s EU Launch Delay

This week at Apple’s 2026 Developers Conference, the company introduced a revamped version of its digital assistant, now branded as Siri AI. After a year‑long postponement, the new assistant is powered by Google Gemini models and is slated for a global rollout, though users in the European Union may have to wait considerably longer.

Following the announcement of iOS 27, Apple clarified in a blog post that Siri AI will not reach EU customers anytime soon, citing regulatory obstacles posed by the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and other legal requirements. To satisfy the DMA, Apple would need to grant access to rival assistants on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27—a move the company has declined, arguing it would compromise user privacy.

In a statement to Neowin, a spokesperson for the European Commission elaborated on the reasons behind the delayed rollout. The spokesperson clarified that the DMA does not bar Apple from offering its services in the EU, but rather imposes obligations on gatekeepers to provide equivalent features to third parties. The Commission emphasized that the DMA’s core purpose is to ensure users have the freedom to choose the products that best meet their needs.

Apple’s spokesperson confirmed that the company has been in dialogue with the European Commission, yet it has not yet proposed any DMA‑compliant interoperability solutions. The statement further clarified that gatekeeper firms are prohibited from exploiting their dominant platforms—such as operating systems—to give preferential treatment to their own AI services.

The first public beta of iOS 27 is slated for release next month, with the full, stable version expected to debut this fall alongside the launch of the iPhone 18 series. However, the timeline for Apple to address its DMA compliance challenges and make Siri AI available to European users remains uncertain.