Apple announced that the new Siri AI feature will not be launched for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch in the European Union (EU) for the time being due to an ongoing dispute with the bloc’s antitrust regulators.
According to Apple, the proposal submitted to ensure that Siri AI complies with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) while protecting user privacy has not yet been approved by the European Commission.
Siri AI, which will be introduced at the WWDC 2026 event, comes with smarter capabilities including understanding the content on the user’s screen and accessing information from messages, emails and photos to provide more relevant answers.
However, Apple claims that the EU’s interpretation of the DMA requires too broad access to user data, thus raising concerns about security and privacy.
Apple Faces Pressure in AI Race
The delay adds to Apple’s challenge in its efforts to strengthen its position in the artificial intelligence (AI) race.
Since launching its Apple Intelligence platform two years ago, the company has struggled to deliver key features on schedule, with some of the functionality it has launched falling short of the technology offered by OpenAI, Google and Anthropic.
While Siri AI will begin testing with developers and is expected to launch to English-speaking users later this year in beta, the feature still has no launch timeline for the EU market.
Apple also confirmed that Siri AI will not be available in China for now due to local regulatory requirements.
Investor concerns about the direction of Apple’s AI strategy have also weighed on the company’s shares.
Apple shares closed 1.9% lower after the WWDC 2026 keynote, reflecting market skepticism about the company’s ability to catch up with rivals that are increasingly aggressive in developing AI technology.
