Ever since the first iOS 26.5 beta update dropped, iPhone users in the EU have been waiting for interoperability features to arrive. Now, with the iOS 26.5 stable update rollout, third-party wearables finally get the ability to connect and behave like first-party Apple wearables in the EU.
Apple Interoperability Features for Third-Party Wearables Now Live in the EU
In accordance with the EU's Digital Markets Act, Apple is opening its ecosystem partially to unlock some previously exclusive features for third-party wearables. This will allow iPhone users in the EU to pair their third-party accessories seamlessly without any hiccups or feature loss.
To make interoperability features available, Apple is opening three key Apple Watch and AirPods features for non-Apple accessories. First is Proximity Pairing, which will now let third-party earbuds initiate an AirPods-like one-tap pairing process, making it as seamless as connecting AirPods.
Next is iPhone notifications, which were previously not being pushed to third-party accessories. With it now being available, non-Apple fitness trackers and smartwatches will be able to receive notifications from an iPhone and even allow viewing and reacting to them. It is currently limited to one device at a time and cannot be accessed via multiple wearables at once.
Lastly, with Live Activities, non-Apple smartwatches, third-party TVs and headphones will be able to show and prompt Live Activities in the same way it works on an Apple Watch. However, for these new interoperability features to work, accessory makers will need to add support for them from their end.
Hence, they might not immediately work for iPhone users in the EU. Additionally, Apple has also updated its Developer Program License Agreement to reflect these EU-specific changes. The agreement clearly states that forwarded notifications and live activities cannot be used for advertising, profiling, training models or monitoring location. Only the target accessory will be able to receive them and Apple can limit the extent of the pairing.
