EU has asked Apple to open up certain parts of the iPhone to third-parties; failure to comply will have strange consequences.
Apple Rather Remove AirDrop from iPhone Completely than Open it up to Third-Parties in the EU
The EU says that Apple needs to open up certain parts of the iPhone to third-parties, otherwise it would be considered anti-competitive, according to the Digital Market Acts.
This includes features like proximity pairing for AirPods as well as AirDrop, a feature that allows Apple devices to send files to each other wirelessly.
Do keep in mind that NameDrop is also a part of the whole AirDrop experience. If AirDrop is removed, NameDrop goes with it.
Apple says that it is unfairly targeted by the EU and in the end users will be left with an ‘inferior’ experience. Or, in other words, Apple might just remove AirDrop altogether rather than give it away to third-parties for use.
This also means proximity pairing will be removed from iPhones as well, forcing users to pair AirPods with their iPhones and iPads like any other Bluetooth earbuds.
I’m not going to comment on this further as that may spark a political debate. But I want the EU and Apple to come up with a solution that does not leave the user with a subpar Apple ecosystem experience.
Even iPhone Mirroring remains missing to this day in the EU.
I sincerely hope better sense prevails when it comes to progress and technology.
