The Digital Markets Act forced Apple to allow third party app stores on the iPhone, to which Apple complied, but only in this region. | Image credit — DMA

And while Apple might be complying—at least on paper—it’s already found creative ways to limit how much these new rules actually affect the user experience. For example, in iOS 17.4 (the version tailored to the EU’s DMA requirements), Apple lets third-party app stores and alternative browser engines exist, but the hoops developers need to jump through are significant. And users are hit with scary warnings that could discourage them from straying too far from the Apple-approved path.

What’s becoming clearer is that Apple may choose to keep restricting or disabling certain features in the EU entirely rather than continue to change the DNA of its products. We’ve already seen this play out with things like Apple Cash and Apple Card—both of which are still unavailable in the EU due to regulatory complications. And it’s not out of the question that some of the seamless device features we’ve gotten used to might eventually be region-locked.

To be fair, Apple isn’t the only company under the DMA’s microscope. Google is also being asked to give users more choice when setting up Android devices, and Meta is facing scrutiny over how its services are bundled. But Apple is unique in how much of its brand is built around exclusivity and tight integration. Forcing them to open up feels more disruptive than it might be for a company that already plays well with others.

As someone who generally supports more openness in tech—especially when it helps consumers—I was all for the EU pushing Apple toward USB-C and RCS. Even more so as someone who uses both an iPhone and an Android device as a daily driver. Those are about standardization and making basic tech functions easier for everyone. But this latest round of demands feels like something else entirely. It’s one thing to create fairer conditions for competition; it’s another to dismantle what makes a product distinct in the name of fairness.

Apple shouldn’t be above regulation, and healthy competition is important. But regulators also need to recognize when they’re crossing from creating opportunity into reshaping products in a way that users didn’t ask for. At this rate, Apple may eventually decide it’s just not worth offering the same iPhone experience in the EU at all.