Apple Delays iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 with New Siri for EU and China Due to Regulatory Issues

European Union and Chinese citizens will have to wait even longer before getting their hands on Apple's hotly-anticipated iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 with the new Siri. Thanks to some regulatory issues, Apple said it won't ship Siri AI as part of its upcoming iPhone and iPad software updates to the EU due to the conflicts with the Digital Markets Act. Furthermore, since Siri AI for watchOS 27 requires an paired iPhone with Siri AI, watchOS 27 will also not include the new software either. "Our hope is to eventually bring Siri AI to the EU, and we will continue to engage with EU regulators on a path forward," Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said in a press release. "However, their 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." The dispute also means developers in the EU won't be able to test or use the Siri AI features for their apps on the iOS or iPadOS betas. On top of that, Apple said that Siri AI features and its new Apple Intelligence features won't be available in China either, since it has to work "through regulatory requirements." According to Apple, the EU's Digital Markets Act requires it to give any AI system "nearly unlimited access to a user's device," along with "the ability to act on that access autonomously without a user's ongoing visibility and control." Citing user privacy concerns, Apple said it came up with the "Trusted System Agent," or an intermediary that would let virtual assistants use the same features and capabilities as Siri AI for EU devices, along with a rollout plan over the next 18 months. However, Apple said the European Commission didn't agree to any of its proposals. Apple said it would continue trying to deliver the overhauled Siri AI to EU users on iPhone and iPad, but that there was "no timeline for Siri AI's availability in the EU." However, EU users can still experience the revamped Siri through macOS 27 or visionOS 27.