For the past several months, Apple has been developing new interoperability features intended for rollout in the European Union to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The changes are designed to improve how third-party devices connect and interact with iPhones.
One key area of work is simplified pairing, similar to how AirPods connect. With this system, accessories like earbuds or other devices would be able to pair with an iPhone through a nearby, one-tap setup process, reducing the multi-step pairing flow currently required for non-Apple products.
Apple is also building support for notification forwarding to third-party wearables. This would allow devices such as smartwatches to display iPhone notifications and enable basic interactions with them. The feature would bring capabilities that have traditionally been limited to the Apple Watch to other manufacturers’ devices.
Together, these changes aim to open up deeper integration between iPhones and non-Apple accessories in the EU, while still maintaining user control over which devices receive notifications and how they are connected.
Testing on Apple’s EU interoperability features began in earlier betas such as iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4, but the functionality has not yet been publicly released. The latest iOS 26.5 beta continues that work and now includes expanded support for both notification forwarding and proximity-based pairing for third-party wearables.
One of the key additions is proximity pairing for accessories like earbuds, which would work in a similar way to AirPods. When a compatible device is brought close to an iPhone or iPad, it can trigger a simplified, one-tap setup process, removing the more complex steps typically required to pair non-Apple accessories.
Another major feature under development is notification forwarding for third-party wearables, including smartwatches. This would allow users to view and respond to iPhone notifications directly on connected devices. However, Apple is limiting this to one active wearable at a time—meaning enabling notifications on a third-party device would disable them on an Apple Watch.
The latest beta also suggests that Live Activities may be included within this system, allowing them to be forwarded to third-party wearables alongside standard notifications.
Apple has not confirmed a public release timeline, but the European Commission has indicated these changes are expected to roll out in the EU in 2026. The features are currently restricted to EU device makers and users, and are being made available for developer testing with compatible accessories such as smartwatches, headphones, and TVs.