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Apple will turn off Wi-Fi network synchronization between iPhones and Watch devices in the European Union. Although this change will only impact the users in the EU, it is a demonstration of a larger trend within the company where it is addressing hardware features in the regions where they are regulated. The feature was reportedly marked by the company as something they would delete in the next round of iOS 26 release due to its compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
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The feature change and its timing
The developer logs of the iOS 26.2 beta indicate a new prefixed message that the automatic transfer of Wi-Fi networks will be disabled on the Watch devices being paired with iPhones in the EU markets. A bulletin sent by the newsroom of the company claims that the company is postponing some of its features in Europe, as the DMA would most likely increase the list of deferred features in the EU.
The company has been reported to assure the French press that the Wi-Fi-sync option will be turned off before the expiry of the interoperability deadline of the end of 2025. Although there is no final release version, it will probably be included in a subsequent update of iOS 26 after the 26.2 beta. The users of Watch in the EU will not identify their watch in connection with known Wi-Fi networks in the paired iPhone.
Regulatory pressures behind the move
Under the Digital Markets Act, companies designated as gatekeepers must provide third-party access to certain connectivity features previously reserved for their own hardware and software. According to the DMA specification document, the company must grant third-party connected physical devices comparable access to Wi-Fi network metadata and linking protocols by the end of 2025. Apple has argued that compliance presents privacy and security risks for users in Europe. In its summary of the DMA’s impact, Apple stated that features reliant on device-specific hardware and proprietary chips have had to be delayed in the EU.
By disabling the automatic network syncing feature rather than opening the Wi-Fi network list for third-party access, Apple appears to sidestep the regulatory requirement while preserving its device ecosystem control. One analyst described the strategy as accepting a limited consumer trade-off rather than exposing core hardware access.
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Implications for users and practicality.
To users of Apple Watch in the EU, the deletion will imply that the Apple Watch will not automatically connect to a known Wi-Fi network when its paired iPhone is connected to the network. Instead, the watch owners will be forced to manually pick the Wi-Fi network in the watch settings when the iPhone is not available or within range. The change will not affect the daily use of most users, as the majority of the watches depend on an iPhone (or cellular connection).
However, a situation where the guest Wi-Fi is offered to a watch of a visitor or when Wi-Fi is not available within the range of the iPhone may not be as seamless. This may create extra friction in more complex network onboarding scenarios, such as those found in enterprise or campus Wi-Fi. The decision of Apple indicates that they estimated that the aspect would have a less adverse effect when scrapped and fulfilled technical or regulatory requirements.
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Strategic and business-ecosystem view.
The relocation is also illuminating as regards how Apple is negotiating between hardware control and regulatory compliance. Specifically, the update on the DMA impact by the company referenced the necessity to withhold such functions as iPhone Mirroring and tracked places in Europe to prevent the spread of access to hardware by third-party products.
In the case of Apple, the choice is a trade-off between the closed ecosystem approach that Apple has been using and facing regulatory backlash, or selective feature removals. Others believe the Wi-Fi sync removal to be an experiment on how Apple can cope with more important future hardware-interop requirements, such as iPhone-non-Apple smart-home connection protocol.
