Apple delays “Siri AI” on iPhone and iPad in the EU for iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, citing DMA

Apple said it will not ship its new “Siri AI” assistant on iPhone and iPad in the European Union when iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 launch later this year. In an update posted Monday, Apple linked the delay to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), saying regulators did not accept any of its proposals for bringing the feature to the EU while preserving the privacy and security model Apple uses across its devices.

Siri AI, Apple said, is a redesigned version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, the company’s AI system that aims to run parts of the experience on-device. Apple’s update also said that EU users will still be able to access Siri AI on macOS 27, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27, even though iOS and iPadOS will be held back for the region.

Apple executives framed the move as a compromise over how much access an assistant should have to a user’s device. Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, said the company is “deeply disappointed” EU customers will not have Siri AI on iPhone or iPad alongside the release of its iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 updates. He added that Apple has “no timeline” for Siri AI’s availability on those platforms in the EU, while it continues engaging regulators on “a path forward.”

When iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 launch later this year, Apple said EU users will not have Siri AI and its “advanced capabilities.” The company listed several features it planned to include, such as a dedicated app designed to let users revisit conversations, an expanded Visual Intelligence experience, integrated tools for writing, a Siri mode in the iOS Camera, and other Siri AI capabilities announced at WWDC 26. Apple did not specify what subset of features, if any, might later arrive for iPhone and iPad under a revised approach.

Developers located in the EU will also face limitations, Apple said. It stated that developers in the region will not be able to test or use the new Siri AI features for their apps on iOS and iPadOS, suggesting that Apple’s integration plan for third-party software would not be active for the EU until Siri AI is permitted on those platforms.

Apple argued that Siri AI is built “private by design,” using on-device processing and “Private Cloud Compute,” a service Apple uses to run some private computations in the cloud while limiting how much data is exposed. Apple said the problem is not the technology itself, but what it described as regulators’ interpretation of the DMA in a way that would require virtual assistants to be given broader access.

Apple said that, under what it called the DMA’s “extreme interpretation,” it would have to provide a virtual assistant direct access to a user’s private data and the ability to directly control other installed applications once Siri AI is made available in the EU. Apple listed examples of the type of access it believes would be required, including the ability for an assistant system to read and send messages, make purchases, access files, and execute actions across any app, potentially without ongoing visibility and control from the user.

Apple said it has already identified security risks associated with systems that can act across accounts and apps. It pointed to what it described as findings by security researchers that AI systems can be hijacked to steal personal data, such as passwords and photos, and to permanently alter files and account settings without user consent. As AI systems gain more capabilities, Apple said, those risks are increasing in frequency and scope.

To address those concerns, Apple said it designed a “Trusted System Agent” concept, described as an intermediary that would allow virtual assistants to access the same features and capabilities as Siri AI in the EU while adding safeguards. Apple also said it proposed a plan to launch Siri AI in the EU while gradually rolling out that solution over an 18-month period. The European Commission, Apple said, declined the proposals and did not agree to any of them.

Apple did not provide details about which specific DMA interpretations or proposed compliance steps the Commission rejected, nor did it outline a revised timetable for iOS and iPadOS in the EU. The company also did not disclose whether it will continue to pursue a Trusted System Agent model or whether it expects further negotiations to start from different technical assumptions.

Going forward, the immediate watch item is whether Apple and the European Commission can reach an agreement that would allow Siri AI on iPhone and iPad in the EU without expanding assistant access in the way Apple says is required under the DMA. For developers, the question is also whether and when regional app testing and integration for Siri AI capabilities will resume in iOS and iPadOS.

For now, Apple’s decision splits the rollout: Siri AI will remain on track for macOS 27, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27, while iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 are effectively limited in the EU. The outcome will likely hinge on regulators accepting a privacy-preserving architecture that still satisfies DMA obligations, or on Apple shifting its technical approach to meet what the Commission demands.