Apple challenges 'unreasonable' EU order to open up to rivals

Apple has submitted a legal challenge to an EU order to open up its closed ecosystem to rivals such as Meta and Alphabet's Google, saying the demands are unreasonable and hamper innovation.

Apple said the EU's interoperability requirements create "a process that is unreasonable, costly and stifles innovation".

In March, the European Commission detailed how Apple must comply with the Digital Markets Act, which aims to rein in the power of Big Tech.

Apple had until May 30 to appeal the requirement. 

"These requirements will also hand data-hungry companies sensitive information, which poses massive privacy and security risks to our EU users," the company said in a statement.

"These deeply flawed rules that only target Apple - and no other company - will severely limit our ability to deliver innovative products and features to Europe, leading to an inferior user experience for our European customers."

Meta, Google, Spotify and Garmin are among the companies that have requested access to Apple users' data.

The legal fight will likely take years to play out in court. Until then, Apple will have to comply with the EU order.

The Commission ordered Apple to give rival makers of smartphones, headphones and virtual reality headsets access to its technology and mobile operating system so they can connect with Apple's iPhones and iPad tablets.

It also set out a detailed process and timeline for Apple to respond to interoperability requests from app developers.