Apple challenges the European Union's directive to open up the ecosystem, arguing that it hinders innovation.

Apple has challenged the European Union's order to open its closed ecosystem to competitors such as Meta, Google's parent company Alphabet, claiming the requirement is unreasonable and hinders innovation. The European Commission detailed in March how Apple must comply with the Digital Markets Act aimed at restraining big tech giants. Apple stated that the EU's interoperability requirements establish "a process that is unreasonable, costly, and stifles innovation." "These requirements will also provide sensitive information to companies that require large amounts of data, posing significant privacy and security risks to EU users," the company said in a statement. "These rules, which are heavily flawed and only apply to Apple and not other companies, will severely limit our ability to introduce innovative products and features to European users, resulting in a subpar experience." Companies such as Meta, Google, Spotify, and Garmin have all requested access to Apple user data. This legal battle could last for several years, during which time Apple will still have to comply with EU orders.