With iOS 26.5, Apple is preparing one of the biggest changes in its ecosystem. Under pressure from the European Digital Markets Act (DMA), the brand will now allow third-party accessories to take advantage of functions previously reserved for AirPods and the Apple Watch. A major development for iPhone users, but also for manufacturers of headphones, earbuds and smart watches.
This opening could shake things up in the Bluetooth earbuds market. while AirPods remain excellent wireless earbuds, part of their success also rests on their particularly seamless integration into the Apple ecosystem. With iOS 26.5, some competing manufacturers could now offer a much more seamless experience on the iPhone, while retaining their own strengths.
Quick pairing for third-party headphones and earbuds
Until now, AirPods have benefited from a largely exclusive integration into iOS. Simply approaching the earbuds to an iPhone automatically displayed an instant connection window, with fast, seamless pairing between different Apple devices. With iOS 26.5, Apple will open up this function to third-party manufacturers in Europe.
This development could have a major impact on the portable audio market. Until now, many iPhone users chose AirPods above all for their ease of use and seamless integration with iOS.
With integration into iOS, brands such as Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, Technics and Bowers & Wilkins, to name but a few, could become much more attractive to Apple users looking for a high-end experience without losing the comfort of the iPhone ecosystem.
Smart watches finally gain real access to notifications
Another important change: third-party smart watches will now be able to receive and manage iPhone notifications in a much more advanced way.
Today, only the Apple Watch can really interact with iOS notifications. Other watches generally make do with a limited display, often reduced to simply reading messages without any real interaction. With iOS 26.5, European users will be able to view notifications, reply to them and display Live Activities directly from a third-party smart watch.
In practical terms, this opens the door to much more advanced integration for brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi and Huawei.
Although these smart watches are designed above all to work with smartphones from the same brand, many users are already choosing competing watches for their specific uses: autonomy, sports functions, design, more advanced health monitoring or even more affordable prices.
With better iOS integration, iPhone users could therefore more easily consider alternatives to the Apple Watch without losing so much everyday comfort.
A decision imposed by Europe
These changes are not the result of a strategic decision by Apple, but rather stem from the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a European regulation designed to make major digital platforms more open to competition. This change will, moreover, apply only within the European Union.
The goal is clear: to limit users’ confinement to a single ecosystem.
For several months now, Apple has been openly criticizing these obligations, arguing that they could undermine users’ security and confidentiality. The firm therefore imposes a limit of one watch that can receive notifications at a time.
Excellent news for users and manufacturers alike
This update could change the market. Until now, one of the main advantages of AirPods has been their particularly seamless integration with the iPhone. With these features gradually being made available to third-party manufacturers, Apple users may now find it easier to switch to rival high-end earbuds or headphones. This change will push Apple to further strengthen the technical performance of its products, rather than relying primarily on the exclusive advantages of its ecosystem.
It now remains to be seen which manufacturers will quickly adopt these new APIs… and which functions will really be available as soon as the first compatible updates are released.
