The new iOS has arrived in Europe with fewer features than you might expect. Although Apple promises a smarter and faster experience every year, the European version of the system is more different than ever due to strict regulation. And these are features that US users use every day.
The new iOS has become a kind of symbol of the clash of two worlds. On one side is a tech giant that wants to move its ecosystem forward with AI, and on the other is European regulation. The result is a system that acts like a different version of the same product in Europe. Not worse, but limited and sometimes surprisingly cut down on seemingly inconspicuous details, which, however, are missing in normal use.
What you won’t find in the EU and why
The first big blow is the removal of Wi-Fi synchronization between iPhone and Apple Watch. The feature, which continues to work elsewhere in the world, has been disabled in the EU due to a requirement that Apple also make data about stored networks available to third-party accessories. Apple rejected this, saying that it would open the door to possible misuse of sensitive information about the user’s movement. As computer science student Javanshir Hashimzada explains, „connected technologies are not just about convenience, but also the risk at the moment when the data gets into hands to which it does not belong”.
Another limitation concerns . While in the US the service is growing every month, the European version has a noticeable delay and some functions are not active at all. Advanced tools for Siri, some generative functions, and automatic message and call summaries are missing. Hashimzada adds that „confusing for many users, when users look forward to AI features and then find out their iPhone can’t do them just because it’s in the EU”.
When one function disappears and another comes
It is interesting that the restrictions come at a time when the European Union is also receiving exclusive news. iOS 26.2 finally activates live translation for AirPods, which has been available elsewhere since the last version. Apple says the feature required further modifications to meet European requirements.
The European ones are gradually moving away from the American ones, and the new iOS confirms this again. These are not just guesses, but specific features that are either missing or arriving late. It’s frustrating from the users’ point of view, logical from the regulators’ point of view. And from Apple’s point of view, this is a new reality that it will have to continue to work with.
