iPhone mirroring not available in Estonia after updating my MacBook Pro

Yes, strange behavior from the corporation: we did this, we did that, but only users in the USA can use it. It's frustrating. At least remove those icons from our view so they don't keep catching our eye.

Reddit is full of people saying they have it working by switching their region to US.

In any case, I've decided I'm content to wait till the feature conforms to EU norms. I trust the EU to be looking out for me, and until it complies, I'm probably leaking too much info to Apple.

since when EU looks out to its people? 💀

I trust the EU to be looking out for me

I trust the EU to be looking out for me /s

FTFY :-/

No it does not. It is bound to your physical location, unrelated to what ID it is from. When you move to the US or China, it will be available automatically. I've lately tested it.

It's super frustrating as this seems the feature that I've been waiting for. But you've got it people wrong. It's not EU regulations to be blamed. It's Apple and it's "don't give a ****" policy to blame. I think they could have made a little effort to comply with the regulations. There are several remote control solution on different platforms that work in EU.

iPhone Mirroring: Use your iPhone from your Mac

* You may see a message that iPhone Mirroring is unable to connect to iPhone because iPhone Mirroring is not available in your country or region. iPhone Mirroring is not currently available in the European Union.

Until or If this matter is resolved between Apple the Governing Body of the EU

There really is nothing we can do to help with this matter

Apple has restricted iPhone Mirroring in the EU due to compliance issues with the EU’s DMA regulations.

Sorry but one seems to miss the point

There are EU Commission Regulations that prohibit using the Apple iPhone to perform as it was designed to work

I can take care or myself I do not need stupid regulations in something like this. I want the feature and the freedom to decide if I use the feature and I should be the one pondering the benefits and risk not the EU. Is not a big common matter like water, food or energy which regulations can be needed.

For the curious ones like me:

In short, "2. Fairness in the Ecosystem". Below is from GPT:

The EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations don't directly block iPhone mirroring itself. However, the DMA targets anti-competitive practices in the digital market, particularly focusing on gatekeeping practices by large tech companies (like Apple, Google, and others).

Key DMA Provisions Related to iPhone Mirroring:

The EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into effect in November 2022, aims to regulate large tech companies, specifically gatekeepers. These are companies that have a significant impact on the market, such as Apple, Google, and Microsoft.

Some provisions of the DMA that could affect features like iPhone mirroring are:

1. Interoperability:

• • The DMA requires large platforms (such as Apple's App Store and iOS) to ensure interoperability with other devices and services. This could potentially influence Apple's behavior regarding AirPlay and screen mirroring functionality. In particular, restrictive interoperability (like preventing third-party apps from mirroring content from iPhones) could be scrutinized under the DMA.

1. Fairness in the Ecosystem:

• • Apple’s closed ecosystem (especially with features like AirPlay, AirDrop, and Mirroring for Apple-only devices) is often seen as restrictive. If Apple were to limit the ability of third-party services or devices (non-Apple devices like Smart TVs, gaming consoles, etc.) to access iPhone content in the name of promoting its own technologies (e.g., using AirPlay exclusively with Apple TVs), this could be considered anti-competitive under the DMA.

1. Preventing Self-Preferencing:

• • The DMA also prohibits self-preferencing — i.e., giving preferential treatment to its own services or devices. If Apple were to block third-party mirroring technologies or restrict non-Apple devices from using iPhone mirroring capabilities, this could violate DMA's anti-self-preferencing rules.

Does the DMA Directly Block iPhone Mirroring?

While iPhone mirroring itself is not specifically targeted by the DMA, certain gatekeeping practices by Apple (such as limiting how non-Apple devices can interact with iPhones or restricting third-party apps from enabling mirroring) could fall under the scope of the DMA’s regulations if they hinder competition in the digital market.

If Apple restricts iPhone-to-non-Apple-device mirroring (such as blocking apps or devices like Chromecast, Android TVs, or other third-party screens) in a way that could be seen as anti-competitive or as promoting its own devices unfairly (e.g., only allowing AirPlay with Apple TV), that behavior could be subject to scrutiny under the DMA.

Potential Outcomes:

• Regulation or Changes: If Apple’s practices regarding screen mirroring or interoperability are found to violate the DMA, they may be forced to allow third-party mirroring or improve interoperability with non-Apple devices.
• Enforcement Actions: Apple could face penalties or enforcement actions from the European Commission if its actions are deemed to stifle competition.

Conclusion:

The DMA does not directly target iPhone mirroring, but if Apple limits mirroring functionality in a way that restricts competition (for example, by blocking non-Apple devices from interacting with iPhones), such actions could be scrutinized under the EU Digital Markets Act for anti-competitive behavior.

Let me know if you need more details or clarifications!

Just to add, you may want to do a search for a way to bypass the restriction. Personally, I wouldn't bother.

androweb wrote:

It’s same situation in Croatia.

Croatia is a member of the EU.

I have the region on both phone and mac set to US. But it doesn't work. Maybe you have to also change your region in your appleid, but be warned that will break any family sharing and subscriptions (families apparently can't span regions and subscriptions are region bound sometimes)

It’s super frustrating having all these things that apparently are great features on the Apple products and that we can only use them in the US! Maybe we should stop getting Apple products and leave them to the US coz what the point then if you have to be in the US to use your phone features!