Microsoft has just achieved what seemed unthinkable recently: forcing Apple to open one of the most closed corners of its ecosystem. The Redmond company has secured a commitment from the iPhone maker to create a shared clipboard solution between iOS and Windows devices, a regulatory victory that demonstrates the growing reach of European interoperability rules.

The wish list Europe forced Apple to reveal

It all began when Europe forced Apple to open its ecosystem under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The most visible consequence: Apple published on its developer page a public list called Interoperability Requests in the European Union — a tracker showing every single opening request the company receives.

This list is, in reality, a unique window in the technology industry. Google and Microsoft are also subject to the same European obligations, but they do not publish such exhaustive information: Google offers a reduced tracker for Android, while Microsoft barely allows consultation of individual requests without centralized tracking.

According to xataka.com, the Free Software Foundation Europe (FSFE) recently analyzed the tracker and concluded that 56 interoperability requests remained without satisfactory response from Apple, a figure that reflects ongoing tension between regulation and corporate resistance.

Microsoft wins the clipboard battle

Among dozens of pending requests, Microsoft achieved what seemed impossible: getting Apple to agree to create a universal clipboard between iPhone and Windows. Initially, Apple argued that the feature was neither viable nor appropriate as an interoperability solution. But under regulatory pressure, it changed course.

What does this mean in practice? European users who own an iPhone and a Windows PC will be able to copy text, links or images on one device and paste them automatically on the other, without needing intermediary applications. The system will request permission each time, thus respecting user privacy.

It is a modest but symbolic victory. Microsoft has proven to be the most active company in requesting openings under the DMA, and this Apple decision validates its regulatory pressure strategy.

A long timeline for a simple feature

There is a catch. Apple has made clear that this solution requires "significant engineering effort" and, consequently, will not arrive before autumn 2027, when the first development versions of iOS are released. The stable version may not arrive until iOS 28, probably in 2028.

For those hoping for a more immediate update, the horizon is disappointing. But the regulatory lesson is clear: even a corporation like Apple, accustomed to imposing its closed integration criteria, cannot indefinitely reject European demands.

Europe: hero and villain at once

European regulation has achieved genuine gains for citizens: greater interoperability, less dependence on a single provider, more competition. But it has also made the Union the rival to beat for technology giants, who invest enormous resources in complying with rules that are barely enforced in other regions of the world.

Apple's case is paradigmatic. Under regulatory pressure, the company does not close its doors or abandon the European market: it simply concedes and builds openness solutions that, ultimately, benefit everyone. The outstanding question is whether this European model of aggressive regulation will manage to be replicated globally or will remain a regional exception.