Apple CEO Tim Cook held “constructive” talks with EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen on Tuesday about releasing Siri AI in the bloc while complying with the bloc’s digital rules, reports the Financial Times ($).
An EU spokesperson told the publication that the virtual meeting involved “a constructive exchange on topics of common interest, where work is ongoing.”
Siri AI will be available for free with iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 when it’s released in September. However, the improved chatbot-style Siri won’t be available in the EU on iOS and iPadOS until it finds its way forward under the bloc’s regulatory framework. That includes a new Siri app to revisit conversations, expanded Artificial Intelligence capabilities, integrated writing tools, Siri mode in the iPhone’s camera app, and more.
While the new advanced features of Siri AI were announced at WWDC 2026 last month, Apple said that EU regulators do not accept any of the company’s proposed solutions to bring Siri AI to the EU while safely supporting other virtual assistants.
According to the Commission, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires Apple to give its rival AI assistants access to the same basic capabilities of the iPhone as Siri, allowing them to perform many of the same tasks on behalf of the user with appropriate user consent.
To solve this problem, Apple came up with the idea of a Trusted System Agent – a software intermediary that would be designed to allow third-party assistants to securely access system capabilities such as Siri AI on EU devices. Apple said the EU had rejected the proposal.
The EU quickly hit back at that interpretation, however, saying that the decision not to implement Siri AI in the bloc was entirely Apple’s and that the company sought exemption from its legal obligations instead of a compromise solution. The regulators also said that Apple simply requested a complete exemption from its interoperability obligations under the DMA, something the Commission said was not an available option.
The controversy has sparked a wave of criticism of the Commission. According to the Financial TimesEU officials have received hundreds of emails from consumers accusing Brussels of denying Europeans access to new technologies.
Regarding Apple’s proposed Trusted System Agent, a Commission official told the publication that his communication with Apple on this idea is limited, and that he does not have a concrete proposal or details on how that agent will work beyond common sense. The official said Apple is “focused on getting the green light to delay compliance.”
“Apple’s proposal to delay the collaboration of third-party AI agents while its product is available to users would have risked leading to the focus of its service before others had a chance to compete for at least two years if not,” the official said.
Conversely, the official said the changes Google made to Android prompted the Commission to open a formal consultation on how the company could comply with the DMA and avoid hefty fines.
Apple has not commented publicly on the latest round of negotiations.
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