Tim Cook holds talks with EU tech chief as Siri AI remains blocked for European iPhone users

Apple's Tim Cook holds 'constructive' talks with EU tech chief over 'Siri AI'

Apple chief executive Tim Cook and EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen held "constructive" talks on Tuesday as the two sides aim to lower the temperature in a bitter dispute over the iPhone maker's new "Siri AI." An EU spokesperson said the virtual meeting had involved a "constructive exchange on topics of common interest, on which the work continues". The meeting included a discussion of how Apple can launch its reinvented Siri in Europe while avoiding millions of dollars in fines for violating the bloc's flagship competition rules, according to two people familiar with the talks. The long-awaited AI overhaul of Siri is part of a push to compete directly with popular chatbots including OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude. But its launch revealed an impasse between the $4.25tn tech giant and Brussels over the bloc's Digital Markets Act, which aims to open up big tech groups to competition. Apple has said a lack of engagement from the EU is preventing it from launching Siri AI in the EU. Apple has argued the DMA has made it harder to do business on the continent, worsened consumers' experience, and that the EU has failed to engage with its proposed solution on Siri. Apple declined to comment following the meeting between Cook and Virkkunen. Apple has previously gone as far as to call on Brussels to repeal part of its digital rule book, which has already led to fines for the company and is a significant point of tension between Brussels and US President Donald Trump. The new Siri -- which transforms the voice assistant into a chatbot similar to ChatGPT or Claude, with access to personal data -- is seen by investors as essential to proving Apple is competitive in AI. But Apple has said it would not roll out the feature on iPhones and iPads in the EU later this year because of the bloc's requirement to give rival voice assistants a similar level of access to device data. It follows a series of delayed AI product launches by US tech companies in the EU, such as Google's AI overview. "This is not some sort of effort for us to be punitive over our feelings with the DMA: We have worked very hard to try to avoid this outcome," Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak said as the new Siri was unveiled earlier this month. "The commission has not accepted our proposals, or meaningfully engaged with us." EU officials have said that Apple is seeking an unacceptable carve-out from its "interoperability" obligations under EU law for 18 months. European Commission officials have pushed back at what they call "a regulatory holiday" which would harm competitors. The dispute triggered a fierce public backlash against the commission, with European officials reporting hundreds of emails from consumers accusing Brussels of depriving Europeans of a new technology. One EU official said that a commission spokesperson had received a stream of abusive messages, including several death threats. In November, Apple first proposed a technical fix to the EU it later dubbed a "Trusted System Agent" -- a layer of software between a user's device data and a third-party AI model. It would allow rival AI assistants to draw on personal information from the device without giving them full access to the data. However, Apple has yet to build the agent, and said it was looking for assurances from the EU before it starts. A commission official said its contact with Apple on the idea was limited, and that it lacked a concrete proposal or details on how such an agent would work beyond the general concept. They said Apple "focused on obtaining a green light to delay the compliance". By contrast, the official said the commission's process with Google after changes it made to its Android operating system led to a formal consultation on how the company could comply with the DMA and avoid massive fines. For the EU, the fight with Apple hits a central issue in its digital rule book that seeks to ensure a level playing field. "Apple's proposal to delay interoperability for third-party AI agents while having its product available to users would have risked leading to the entrenchment of its service before others would get a chance to compete for at least two years if not more," the official said. Apple first announced the planned Siri overhaul in 2024, two years after the DMA entered into force, although the rollout was delayed until earlier this month. Apple's latest stand-off with the EU is being watched by a US administration that has slammed the bloc's digital rules. Asked about the Siri dispute, a White House official pointed to Trump's February 2025 memorandum that directed US officials to consider imposing retaliatory tariffs on groups that implemented "extortion and unfair fines and penalties" on American companies.

EU tech chief and Tim Cook hold 'constructive' talks as Siri AI stays blocked in Europe

A video call between Henna Virkkunen and Apple's outgoing chief produced warm words and little else, with the Siri AI standoff still unresolved. Apple chief executive Tim Cook and the European Union's technology chief spoke by video call on Monday, and both sides came away describing the exchange as "constructive". That word is doing a lot of work. Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, who oversees the bloc's digital rulebook, held the meeting with Cook on 30 June. An EU spokesperson said the two had a "constructive exchange on topics of common interest, on which the work continues". Neither side detailed what was agreed, and the language suggests very little was. The subject that brought them to the same screen is Siri AI, Apple's rebuilt voice assistant, and whether it can launch in Europe without breaching the Digital Markets Act. Apple has already confirmed the feature will not ship on iPhone or iPad in the EU when iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 arrive later this year. That decision, first reported in June, left European users without the assistant on the two devices they use most. Apple frames the delay as the Commission's doing. It says regulators rejected every proposal it put forward over several months to bring Siri AI to Europe while safely supporting rival assistants. The Commission tells the story differently, arguing Apple has been unable to build interoperability that meets the bloc's privacy and security standards. Both framings can be true at once, which is part of why the deadlock has proved so hard to break. At the heart of the dispute is how far the DMA's interoperability rules reach. Apple argues the Commission's reading would force it to hand any third-party assistant the same deep access Siri AI enjoys, including the ability to read and send messages, make purchases, and act across installed apps. The company says stripping out those permissions for rivals would leave users exposed, and that the Commission has not accepted its safeguards. Brussels sees that access as exactly the point of a law designed to prise open gatekeeper platforms. The restriction applies only to iOS and iPadOS, the two systems the DMA has formally designated. EU users will still get Siri AI on macOS 27, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27. Monday's call did not change that. Apple has not committed to a timeline for bringing the assistant to European iPhones, and the Commission has not signalled any softening of its position. The meeting, on the public record at least, produced an agreement to keep talking. The timing carries its own weight. Cook is preparing to step down as Apple's chief executive, with hardware boss John Ternus expected to take over, and much of Cook's remaining value to the company has centred on his role as its senior government liaison. A cordial sign-off with Brussels fits that brief. The dispute also arrives as the Commission tightens its grip more broadly, having moved to force Google to open Android to rival assistants under the same law. Apple is not being singled out, even if it feels that way in Cupertino. The wider relationship is anything but warm. The Commission has fined Apple €500m over App Store steering rules, and the company remains under scrutiny across several DMA workstreams. Against that backdrop, a single video call reads less as a breakthrough than as both sides keeping a difficult channel open. What Monday did not deliver was any substance a European iPhone owner could use. Siri AI remains unavailable on the devices most people in the bloc actually carry, and the two parties have committed only to further conversation. Whether the next round produces more than an adjective remains to be seen. For now, the assistant stays on the far side of a regulatory line neither Apple nor Brussels seems ready to redraw, and the "constructive" label sits over a standoff that has not moved.

Tim Cook and EU tech chief hold virtual meeting over Siri AI

Earlier today, Tim Cook reportedly held "constructive" talks with EU tech 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 bit of context During WWDC26, Apple announced that Siri AI would not launch 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 on its Newsroom, placing the blame squarely on EU regulators: Apple today introduced Siri AI, an entirely 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 in the European Union with the release of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27. Over the past several months, EU regulators did not accept 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 safely 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 Siri AI to launch while the company gradually rolled out Trusted System Agent, but claimed the European Commission rejected the plan. In the post, Apple vowed to "continue working to bring these features to the European Union as safely as possible." However, it made a point of saying that there was no timeline for Siri AI's availability on iOS and iPadOS in the bloc due to "the regulators' failure to acknowledge" the risks it says the DMA poses to European users. The next day, European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier shot back, saying that he needed to "set the record straight": The decision not to roll out Siri AI in the EU is Apple's and Apple's only because absolutely nothing in the DMA prohibits Apple from introducing new products in the EU. And Apple was simply unable to develop interoperability solutions that meet essential EU privacy and security standards. Tim Cook steps in As reported by the Financial Times, Tim Cook held a virtual meeting earlier today 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 the FT's report: An EU spokesperson said the virtual meeting had involved a "constructive exchange on topics of common interest, on which the work continues". The meeting included a discussion of how Apple can launch its reinvented Siri in Europe while avoiding millions of dollars in fines for violating the bloc's flagship competition rules, according to two people familiar with the talks. While the report did not indicate how much progress had been made, the meeting offers further evidence of how Cook will remain personally involved in Apple's government relations around the world after stepping down as CEO. Just two weeks ago, he also gave an interview to The Wall Street Journal about the global memory shortage and its impact on Apple, ahead of 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 into easing 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. Back to Cook's meeting with Virkkunen, it signals that despite the public sparring, Apple remains engaged with EU officials in search of a path forward. The fact that Cook is directly involved in the negotiations does not come as a surprise. Still, it does suggest that Apple may be more eager to resolve the stalemate than it initially appeared, with Siri AI central to both this year's software releases and the company's broader strategy going forward. For the Financial Times' original report, follow this link. Do you think Apple and the EU will reach an agreement in time for Siri AI to launch alongside iOS 27? Let us know in the comments. Worth checking out on Amazon

'Constructive' Siri AI meeting sparks hope for iPhone users overseas

These discussions offer hope for EU users to access Apple's new AI features, though the company maintains concerns about user protection with alternative payment methods. The big news at Apple's WWDC event last month was the launch of Siri AI, an upgraded and rebranded version of its beleaguered voice assistant. The software was promptly released in beta form to a generally positive reception, and it will roll out to the general public in the fall as part of the OS 27 updates. But not every customer will get to join in. In a spiky open letter published on the same day as the announcement, Apple explained that Siri AI will be delayed for iPhone and iPad owners in the EU as a result of regulatory issues-namely the Digital Markets Act, which has been the source of considerable tension between Brussels and Big Technology. "[The EU's] refusal to engage constructively on solutions that preserve privacy and security means we do not currently have a timeline for Siri AI's availability on iOS and iPadOS in the EU," said Craig Federighi in a statement. It's still coming to EU users as part of macOS 27 and visionOS 27, but anything more than that is currently uncertain. While somewhat predictable, this impasse appeared to be bad news for all parties: Apple, because it misses out on a significant user base for its flagship new platform (and the data it would glean from them); customers, who are stuck with Siri in its current and frankly unfit-for-purpose condition; and probably even the EU, which in the eyes of many has been landed with the blame. So it's imperative for some form of agreement to be reached, and the signs appear to be cautiously positive. This week, as reported by Reuters, Apple CEO Tim Cook has held talks with European technology chief Henna Virkkunen. "We can confirm that the call between ⁠[Virkkunen] and [Cook] took place," said an EU spokesperson. "It was a constructive exchange on topics of common interest, on which the work continues." These words aren't much, but they offer some hope of reconciliation. And they mirror one of the few cheerful sections of Apple's earlier open letter, which insisted that the company hoped "to eventually bring Siri AI to the EU, and we will continue to engage with EU regulators on a path forward." The Financial Times [paywall] further specifies that the meeting was virtual, and included "a discussion of how Apple can launch its reinvented Siri in Europe while avoiding millions of dollars in fines for violating the bloc's flagship competition rules, according to two people familiar with the talks." Cook has exactly two months left in his time as Apple CEO, but the ascension of John Ternus to that role on September 1 won't see his predecessor leave the company entirely. As executive chairman of the board, in fact, he's likely to spend a large part of his time conducting this kind of political liaison. Anarchy in the U.K. As if this wasn't enough of a headache, Apple faces difficulties elsewhere in Europe this week. In Britain, to be precise, which is no longer part of the EU but has hit upon a useful way of negotiating with tech giants: copy the negotiations made by the trading bloc it left in 2020. In February, the U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) used this approach to win concessions over the way Apple and Google run their app stores; and this week, as again reported by Reuters, the CMA is proposing to go further. It wants app developers to be able to "steer" users to payment methods other than the ones run by the store owners, and it wants Apple to open up the NFC systems on the iPhone so other companies can use Apple Wallet. Apple has pushed back on the proposals. "When users are directed away from Apple's trusted payment infrastructure, they lose the protections they rely on Apple to provide," a spokesperson said.

Tim Cook Holds 'Constructive' Talks With EU Over Siri AI Launch

Apple CEO Tim Cook held "constructive" talks with EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen on Tuesday about releasing Siri AI in the bloc while complying with the bloc's digital rules, reports the Financial Times ($). An EU spokesperson told the publication the virtual meeting had involved a "constructive exchange on topics of common interest, on which the work continues." Siri AI will be available for free with iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 when they are released in September. However, the enhanced chatbot-style Siri will not be available in the EU on iOS and iPadOS until it can find a path forward under the bloc's regulatory framework. That includes the new Siri app for revisiting conversations, expanded Visual Intelligence capabilities, integrated writing tools, Siri mode in the Camera app on iPhone, and more. When the new enhanced Siri AI features were announced at WWDC 2026 last month, Apple said EU regulators did not accept any of the company's proposed solutions to bring Siri AI to the EU while safely supporting other virtual assistants. According to the Commission, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires Apple to give rival AI assistants access to the same underlying iPhone capabilities as Siri, allowing them to perform many of the same tasks on a user's behalf with appropriate user consent. To address the issue, Apple came up with the idea of a Trusted System Agent - intermediary software that would be designed to let third-party virtual assistants securely access the same system capabilities as Siri AI on EU devices. Apple said the EU rejected the proposal. The EU quickly shot back against that characterization, however, saying the decision not to launch Siri AI in the bloc was entirely Apple's and that the company sought an exemption from its legal obligations rather than a compliant solution. Regulators also said Apple simply requested a blanket exemption from its interoperability obligations under the DMA, something the Commission said is not an available option. The dispute prompted a wave of criticism of the Commission. According to the Financial Times, EU officials received hundreds of emails from consumers accusing Brussels of denying Europeans access to the new technology. As for Apple's proposed Trusted System Agent, a Commission official told the publication its contact with Apple on the idea was limited, and that it lacked a concrete proposal or details on how such an agent would work beyond the general concept. The official claimed Apple "focused on obtaining a green light to delay compliance." "Apple's proposal to delay interoperability for third-party AI agents while having its product available to users would have risked leading to the entrenchment of its service before others would get a chance to compete for at least two years if not more," the official said. By contrast, the official said changes Google made to Android prompted the Commission to open a formal consultation on how the company could comply with the DMA and avoid hefty fines. Apple has not publicly commented on the latest round of discussions.