New iOS system makes it possible
Apple is bringing AI functions to Europe after all
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Apple is presenting extensive functions with artificial intelligence that should be usable with the new iPhones. The company initially excluded Europe, but is now delivering the AI gimmicks to the continent. A certain software update makes this possible.
Apple will now bring at least some of its new AI functions to iPhones from generation 16 and newer iPads in the European Union. In the summer, the group initially referred to legal uncertainties with regard to the EU digital law DMA and postponed its introduction indefinitely.
The functions that are now coming to the iPhone and iPad in the EU include, among other things, writing tools that improve texts with the help of artificial intelligence, the integration of the chatbot ChatGPT, the redesigned voice assistant Siri and the possibility of using your own emoji symbols Create language specifications.
Apple did not give a date for this. It simply said they would be introduced in later software updates. In the USA, a large part of the functions of “Apple Intelligence” started this Monday.
Apple has seen these problems
The operating system update from iOS 18 to 18.1 comes more than a month after the launch of four new iPhone 16 models equipped with a computer chip needed for AI functions. According to the company, last year's premium models – the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max – also have a processor that is able to work with AI after a software update.
In Europe, the group was particularly concerned that the DMA requirements for opening it up to other manufacturers and service providers could affect the protection of user data. Now it is said that over the past few months they have been looking for a way to reconcile the DMA rules as well as user data protection and security. Since Apple is not considered a “gatekeeper” with much market power when it comes to Mac computers, the AI functions should be introduced there anyway.
The cornerstone of Apple's vision for useful artificial intelligence is that the software has deep access to user data on the devices. A central requirement of the EU law DMA (Digital Markets Act) is that large platforms declared as “gatekeepers” must grant access to other providers and are not allowed to give preference to their own offerings. At the same time, there is an exception if this could affect the “integrity” of the services.
