If the European Commission gets its way, the distinct separation between the iOS and Android ecosystems could start to fade away. In a document published Wednesday, Dec. 18, the European Union's European Commission detailed reasons why it thinks Apple should open up iOS and iPadOS to work better with competition devices.
For Android and Wear OS fans, that could mean a world where you can AirDrop to an Android phone or connect a Pixel Watch to an iPhone natively.
Basically, all those features that helped Apple create its "walled garden" ecosystem could be forced to become interoperable with Android and other platforms. In a separate document, the EU outlined the specific features that Apple should open up to third parties — and it's quite the list. AirDrop, the popular Apple file transfer service, is one massive inclusion. AirPlay, automatic audio switching, and media casting are a few others.
As an Android fan, it's hard not to get excited by the practical benefits of the EU's suggestions. What if instead of needing to carefully make sure your phone, set-top box, and speakers were all compatible, they "just worked?" Or, if you could make AirDrop, Quick Share, AirPlay, and Google Cast all interoperable. It sounds too good to be true, but if it were true, it'd change our novel conception of platforms and ecosystems as we know them.