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iOS 26.3 brings AirPods-like pairing to third-party devices in EU under DMA

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Re: iOS 26.3 brings AirPods-like pairing to third-party devices in EU under DMA

#261

Post by supermatt »

DANmode wrote: post #259
supermatt wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If Apple knew they would need to expand this feature past their gear, possible they’d never have implemented. And this is EXACTLY why they need to open up more core access to their devices. So someone else can innovate.

Why they need to be forced to, you mean? I'm not seeing an incentive structure for them to change being the only source of good workflows for their users - it's their whole thing "It just works" - regardless of if it's true in practice or not.

Indeed. They have shown (and keep showing via blatant malicious compliance) that they can’t be trusted to play fairly.

Re: iOS 26.3 brings AirPods-like pairing to third-party devices in EU under DMA

#263

Post by isodev »

ankit219 wrote: post #107
isodev wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The lesson being learned is that Apple could’ve avoided all this trouble if they had used or produced standards for the connection between their components. The whole concept of a gatekeeper was created in response to Apple-likes being difficult and simply hostile to interop opportunities even though they’re defacto the phone company and there is no way around them. So if the solution is not optimal, that circles bac…

A company making an integrated experience would inevitably provide a better experience/performance than a company asked to build for 100s of devices with different spec. That Apple did not want to open it up is a separate discussion. My contention is this: expecting a third party provider to be able to provide the same experience as the first party is an impractical goal. Even pushing companies towards that means a l…

> Apple degrades its own products to comply

Apple makes a choice here, they don’t degrade anything they just choose to be difficult and to have to be forced to do the right thing by “whomever has enough money to sue us”.

If you’re a user of Apple devices, I don’t know why you’re defending them because noting this corporation does is meant for you once they double dip on you buying their hardware and then signing up for their services.

Re: iOS 26.3 brings AirPods-like pairing to third-party devices in EU under DMA

#264

Post by fainpul »

big_toast wrote: post #225
morshu9001 wrote: post #161

Apple removed the headphone jack to sell AirPods. This was always one of the dirty little details: You could buy non-Apple BT headphones, but they weren't able to work the same way.

I've had no trouble using corded headphones with my iphones (either via an adapter or e.g. the $20 usb-c earpods). In fact, it seems like people using corded headphones is a news cycle[1] every 6 months. [1]: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025/dec/19/bluetooth-wi...

I bought that adapter, because I wanted to keep using my good old, high quality, corded earphones. It technically works, but it's not a nice experience. The adapter looks and feels out of place. It's the only white part in the setup (can't buy it in black), the cable is thin as a hair and feels like it might break soon, and I now have the additional plug and socket on that cable, which makes it awkward to put the phone in my pocket.

Re: iOS 26.3 brings AirPods-like pairing to third-party devices in EU under DMA

#265

Post by sleepychu »

f1shy wrote: post #251
riversflow wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish apple would deprecate the old way and force apps to adopt the new photo picker.

Then you will see here thousands of comments explaining how that is bad for small businesses, and apple is forcing them out of the market… is a balance…

Perhaps it should be by user base?

"You have 100M MAU, you need to be keeping up with the standards"

Re: iOS 26.3 brings AirPods-like pairing to third-party devices in EU under DMA

#266

Post by littlestymaar »

rogerrogerr wrote: post #233
littlestymaar wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> were great but millions of man hours a year are burned navigating cookie banners on every website Cookie banner are not, in fact, an obligation under GDPR. All you need to do to be GDPR compliant is “not collect and sell data to partners” and call it a day. Cookie banners are a loophole that the EC conceded to an ad industry that is addicted to tracking everyone all the time.

> All you need to do to be GDPR compliant is “not collect and sell data to partners” Are you asserting that I can log IP addresses in my Apache logs? Seems like no one can give me a straight answer there.

Of course you can. And you don't need any consent from the user for doing so.

The only thing you need to do is to have some document where you list all the personal information you process and store, for how long and what you do with the said data.

What you cannot do is store data that you don't have a legitimate interest in storing. And this is why you have to document what you do with the data, because if you're not doing anything with it (“I want to store 10 years worth of IP address logs just in case”) then you aren't allowed to (on the opposite “I want to store IP addresses for a month for DDoS protection purpose ” is allowed).

Re: iOS 26.3 brings AirPods-like pairing to third-party devices in EU under DMA

#267

Post by tordrt »

miohtama wrote: post #243
alextingle wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple giving themselves an advantage in the markets for headphones and watches, because they have a dominant position in the market for phones is a textbook case of monopoly abuse. They've done extra work to cripple competing devices. It's obnoxious.

Apple market share is 10% in the EU. Hardly a monopoly.

Where do you get 10% from? Its close to 40%, and the company with the biggest market share in Europe.

https://gs.statcounter.com/vendor-market-share/mobile/europe

Re: iOS 26.3 brings AirPods-like pairing to third-party devices in EU under DMA

#268

Post by WA »

rock_artist wrote: post #238
isodev wrote: post #5

It’s fascinating the kind of cool features we can have when products are made to be useful, with their target user in mind. Go EU!

I live in the EU and now traveling my family outside the EU. Today I’ve tried updating AltStore but it won’t let me. Even VPNing to my home won’t do it. So until there will be more incentive to make it globally, the UX is intentionally crippled not only by making the minimal viable but also by region locking. Imagine pairing headphones working great in EU and then you’re traveling somewhere and it’s broken.

This is the future of the internet. More and more countries have their local laws and international companies need to comply with local laws. This has been the case forever for companies selling products and (physical) services and some digital services restricting music and movie rights in certain countries, but it will expand to more and more services and apps in the future.

Re: iOS 26.3 brings AirPods-like pairing to third-party devices in EU under DMA

#269

Post by Teever »

tiffanyh wrote: post #112
isodev wrote: post #5

It’s fascinating the kind of cool features we can have when products are made to be useful, with their target user in mind. Go EU!

Or it disincentivizes creating those features, if you must give it to your competitors.

Laws that mandate interoperability between devices are a net win for individual consumers and the market as a whole. They simplify people's lives, make society more efficient, prevent opportunities for blatant rent seeking and ultimately foster market productivity.

A government mandating standards in electricity transmission or gasoline composition may disincentivize the development of features that make some people's devices incompatible with charging at certain locations or cars that can only use gas from certain gas stations but that is the opposite of a bad thing.

We live in a much better world because people in the past decided that all telephones should be able to make calls to each other and that people don't really have to think about messing up putting fuel in their car because the size of the nozzles at pumps are standardized.

There are absolutely more opportunities for governments to make small but objectively measurable improvements in society with well placed regulations on interoperability.

Re: iOS 26.3 brings AirPods-like pairing to third-party devices in EU under DMA

#270

Post by WA »

AnonC wrote: post #96
hshdhdhj4444 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gruber’s take on the USB-C stuff has been hilarious. All through that fiasco, where Apple was going through all sorts of twists and turns to avoid switching to USB-C, which was objectively better even if you’re an Apple partisan (given that I could carry a single charging cable for my Mac and Samsung phone, but not for my Mac and iPhone), he was going on and on about how the EU was killing creativity by forcing Apple…

Anecdotally, I’ve found Lightning to be a nice fit when plugged in (it’s got a nice “click”) and USB-C a bit flimsy and loose in comparison. YMMV.

Apple could've made Lightning open and maybe Lightning would've been the new USB-C, if it is the superior product. But no, they chose not to.
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