Apple has announced that its new Siri AI, powered by Apple Intelligence, will not be available to users in the European Union at the same time as its global release due to regulatory disputes.
The company cited the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) as the reason for the delay, stating that regulators did not accept any proposed solutions to bring Siri AI to the EU while ensuring compliance with interoperability rules and protecting user privacy.
Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, expressed disappointment, noting that the company's hope is to eventually bring Siri AI to the EU but that the current regulatory stance means there is no timeline for its availability on iOS and iPadOS in the region. He added that under the EU regulators' interpretation of the DMA, Apple would have to grant any virtual assistant direct access to users' private data and the ability to control other installed applications without essential privacy and security protections.
Consequently, EU users will not have access to Siri AI and its advanced capabilities, including a new dedicated app for revisiting conversations, an expanded Visual Intelligence experience, integrated writing tools, and Siri mode in the Camera app, when iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 launch later this year. Siri AI will also not be available on watchOS 27 in the EU due to its reliance on a paired iPhone with Siri AI enabled.
However, EU users will be able to access Siri AI on macOS 27 and visionOS 27. Developers located in the EU will also be unable to test or use the new Siri AI features for their apps on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and watchOS 27. Apple mentioned that it has been in negotiations with EU regulators for months to find a resolution and even developed a 'Trusted System Agent' to coordinate access to sensitive data, but these proposals were rejected.
Separately, Morgan Stanley reported that most existing iPhones may not be capable of running the new AI Siri due to hardware limitations.
What Happens Next
01Apple will continue to engage with EU regulators on a path forward for Siri AI availability.
02EU users will receive Siri AI on macOS 27 and visionOS 27.
03Developers in the EU will be unable to test or use new Siri AI features for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and watchOS 27.