Report: iPhone-Mirroring allegedly remains inactive in the EU

Who the so-called iPhone Mirroring, in German too iPhone synchronization mentioned, once tried, the feature will love: it allows an Apple cell phone to be almost completely controlled from the Mac and receive notifications on the desktop. If you are already on the computer, you no longer have to use the iPhone and can edit apps and incoming notifications on a screen. The problem: The feature is not yet available in the EU because Apple fears that it can get regulatory anger. As is now becoming apparent, this will probably not change with MacOS 15.4 and iOS 18.4, which are due in April and, among other things, have Apple Intelligence in German for the first time. The reports the Apple Blog 9to5mac.

Fear of the DMA?

The iPhone Mirroring within the EU is still not released if you have the release candidate versions (RCS) from iOS 18.4 and MacOS 15.4 on its devices. The RCS were released at the beginning of this week and form the (almost) finished new versions, only sometimes smaller changes can occur. It is unlikely that the final version of the public activates the iPhone remote control. Apple had already announced last summer at the presentation of MacOS 15 and iOS 18, which would initially be avoided due to “regulatory uncertainties”-as well as other new features that affect iPhone and Mac in combination, including remote maintenance via SharePlay.

Apple is in a difficult situation within the EU. The Mac is not regulated because Windows has a significantly larger market share. The iPhone, on the other hand, falls under the regulations of the Digital Market Act (DMA). Most recently, the EU Commission had started to carry out a kind of microboragement of the platform and, among other things, obliged Apple to develop numerous new APIs and provide them with free of charge for competitors. The group also seems to fear that iPhone Mirroring, if it has to be released for other developers, tears privacy gaps, as it is a complete remote control of an iPhone from the Mac.

Switzerland can participate

So far, Apple has not given any information on why Apple Intelligence is being released in the EU, but iPhone Mirroring and SharePlay remote maintenance. How the EU Apple Intelligence will regulate remains an open question.

However, users can also use the blocked features within the Union, provided their system is set to the English language version and an app store ID from one country outside the EU-including Switzerland-is active. Such an ID can also be used in parallel with iCloud access. Similar tricks were previously possible with Apple Intelligence.