European Union moves to compel Apple to open up operating system to rival tech

LONDON — The European Union said Thursday it will outline steps to compel Apple to open up its iPhone and iPad operating systems to competing technologies under the bloc’s tough new digital rulebook, which threatens hefty fines for breaches. The EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, said it has opened two “specification proceedings” that will spell out what Apple needs to do under the 27-nation bloc’s Digital Markets Act. The commission’s executive vice president in charge of competition policy, Margrethe Vestager, said in a press release that the process will “provide clarity” for developers and Apple. Apple said it has “created ways for apps in the European Union to request additional interoperability with iOS and iPadOS while protecting our users.” “Undermining the protections we’ve built over time would put European consumers at risk,” the company said, adding it will continue to “work constructively” with commission.