The European Union’s Digital Markets Act is here to stay. After Apple implemented several changes to its iPhone and iPad devices to comply with the new laws, the European Commission announced that Apple will have to add more features to its iOS and iPadOS devices to make them work more seamlessly with third-party devices.
These are every new feature that has to be available during the iOS 19 and iPadOS 19 cycle, which will likely be unveiled at WWDC 2025 in June:
Third-party watch notifications: Connected devices, including third-party smartwatches, will be able to show and react to iOS notifications (it needs to be available by June 2026);
Expanded background capabilities: An app can keep executing certain actions even in the background, such as getting the latest weather information and synchronizing it to a smartwatch (some features need to be available by the end of 2025, while others by the end of 2026)
Automatic audio switching: Allow third-party headphones to switch between the iPhone and iPad seamlessly, just like AirPods (it needs to be available by June 2026, except for the functionality to present non-connected third-party devices as available audio routes);
High-bandwidth peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connections: Use a high-bandwidth Wi-Fi connection between the iPhone and physical devices, such as sharing large files or casting on an iPhone what can be seen on virtual reality glasses (Wi-Fi Aware 4.0 needs to be available in iOS 19, and version 5.0 specification should be available nine months following its introduction)
AirDrop-like feature: One of the most important iOS 19 features Apple will need to add is to allow third-party developers to offer alternative sharing app solutions with similar AirDrop functionality (it needs to be available by June 2026)
Payment with third-party accessories connected to an iPhone: Third-party accessories, such as rings or bracelets, can read information, such as a user’s payment card details, and shop with them without the iPhone nearby. Similar to what iPhone users can do with an Apple Watch today (it needs to be available by the end of 2025);
One-pair connectivity: Connect physical devices to an iPhone or iPad just like pairing AirPods for the first time (it needs to be available by June 2026)
Automatic WI-Fi connection: Third-party devices can automatically join a Wi-Fi connection through the details available on the iPhone (it needs to be available by the end of 2025)
While parts of some of the features above might be released with iOS 20, the European Commission says that the only feature that needs to be available by the end of 2026 is an AirPlay-like functionality:
AirPlay-like feature: Apple needs to allow third-party developers to offer alternative media-casting solutions
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