A critical distinction that was getting lost
The announcement of Siri AI's EU block had already received wide coverage, but a crucial detail deserves its own article: the block is not uniform across all Apple operating systems. MacRumors and Engadget clarify that Siri AI will not be available on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 in the EU due to the Digital Markets Act, but it will be available on macOS Golden Gate, visionOS 27, and watchOS 27 even for European users.
The technical and legal distinction is significant. The DMA designates iOS as a direct gatekeeper and requires platforms to grant broad access permissions to third-party AI systems. Apple argues this interpretation would make user privacy guarantees impossible, citing security research showing AI systems can be hijacked to steal personal data. The European Commission rejected all of Apple's proposals, including a technical solution called "Trusted System Agent."
What this means in practice for European users
An EU user with an iPhone 16 Pro will have no access to any of the core Siri AI features — contextual conversation, Camera Visual Intelligence, assisted writing — on their smartphone or tablet. They could, however, use them on their Mac or Apple Watch. This geographic and platform fragmentation is unprecedented in Apple's history and creates a paradoxical situation: the same iCloud account, the same Apple ID, but radically different experiences depending on the device. EU developers are also affected: they will be unable to test or integrate the new Siri AI APIs into their iPhone and iPad apps.