Earlier today, Tim Cook reportedly held “constructive” talks with EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen as Apple and the bloc sought a way forward in their dispute over the delayed launch of Siri AI in Europe. Here are the details.
A little context
During WWDC26, Apple announced that Siri AI would not be released in the EU alongside iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, citing the Digital Markets Act. Shortly after the keynote, the company published a strongly worded statement in their newsroom, blaming EU regulators squarely:
Apple today introduced Siri AI, an all-new version of Siri, powered by Apple Intelligence. Unfortunately, due to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Apple will not be able to ship Siri AI to the European Union with the release of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27. Over the past few months, EU regulators have not accepted any of Apple’s proposed solutions to bring Siri AI to the EU while safely supporting other virtual assistants.
Apple’s proposed solution was called Trusted System Agent, which the company described as “an intermediary that would allow virtual assistants to securely access the same features and capabilities as Siri AI for devices in the EU,” as determined by the bloc’s Digital Markets Act.
Apple said it proposed an 18-month transition period that would allow the launch of Siri AI while the company gradually rolled out Trusted System Agent, but said the European Commission rejected the plan.
In the post, Apple promised to “continue working to bring these features to the European Union in the safest way possible.” However, it made a point to say that there was no timeline for Siri AI’s availability on iOS and iPadOS on the block because “regulators did not recognize” the risks it says the DMA poses to European users.
The next day, European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier shot backsaying that he needed to “make things clear”:
The decision not to implement Siri AI in the EU is Apple’s and Apple’s alone because nothing at all in the DMA prohibits Apple from introducing new products in the EU.
AND
Apple was simply unable to develop interoperability solutions that met essential EU privacy and security standards.
Tim Cook intervenes
As reported by the Financial timesTim Cook today held a virtual meeting with Henna Virkkunen, whose official title is Executive Vice President of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, to address the impasse over Siri AI.
From FOOTThe report of:
An EU spokesperson said the virtual meeting had involved a “constructive exchange on issues of common interest, on which work continues”.
The meeting included a discussion about how Apple can launch its reinvented Siri in Europe while avoiding millions of dollars in fines for violating the bloc’s main competition rules, according to two people familiar with the talks.
While the report does not indicate how much progress has been made, the meeting offers more evidence of how Cook stay personally involved in Apple’s government relations around the world after stepping down as CEO.
Just two weeks ago, he also gave a interview with The Wall Street Journal about the global memory shortage and its impact on Apple, prior to the company’s decision to increase prices for many of its products.
At the time, many saw the interview as an attempt to publicly pressure the Trump administration to ease restrictions on Chinese suppliers. A few days later, the Financial times revealed that Apple had been lobbying the government for precisely that for at least a month.
Going back to Cook’s meeting with Virkkunen, it indicates that despite the public confrontation, Apple remains engaged with EU officials looking for a way forward.
The fact that Cook is directly involved in the negotiations is not a surprise. Still, it suggests that Apple may be more eager to resolve the impasse than it initially seemed, with Siri AI central to both this year’s software releases and the company’s broader strategy going forward.
For him Financial times‘original report, follow this link.
Do you think Apple and the EU will reach a deal in time for Siri AI to launch alongside iOS 27? Let us know in the comments.
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