Apple told EU regulators it would not follow rules designed to stop Siri from muscling out rival AI assistants on iPhone.
A European Commission spokesperson said Apple pushed back on requirements meant to prevent Siri from becoming the entrenched default AI on its devices. The rules exist to ensure competing assistants can reach users without Apple using its platform control to steer them away. Apple's preferred outcome — Siri as the go-to assistant, competitors sidelined — drew a blunt response from the Commission: "not an option." The dispute went public around WWDC 2026, where Apple was simultaneously showing off an expanded Siri.
The default AI on a smartphone is where most users start, and most users never change defaults. Apple has already fought the EU over app store access, browser choice screens, and third-party payments. AI assistants are the next front in that same war, and the stakes are higher: whoever controls the ambient assistant on hundreds of millions of devices shapes what gets recommended, searched, and bought.
Apple has a track record of compliance that satisfies the letter of EU rules while minimizing their real-world effect — offering alternatives through settings menus few users ever find. Expect the same playbook here, unless regulators decide they've seen this trick enough times.