Apple Intelligence may come to EU after all…but only for Mac

Apple Intelligence is one of the biggest tentpoles of this fall’s new OS updates. The AI features in iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia will debut only for users with devices set to U.S. English.

However, there’s a big asterisk: users in the EU won’t get Apple Intelligence. No matter their device’s language setting, Apple has said it is blocking AI features in the EU until further notice.

But there’s new evidence that indicates this exclusion won’t apply to all platforms. Instead, Apple Intelligence might be supported in the EU on the Mac only.

Release notes indicate EU Mac users will get Apple Intelligence

This week on the Upgrade podcast, a listener wrote in to point out that recent beta release notes indicate Apple Intelligence may become available for EU users on the Mac, even while being blocked from iOS and iPadOS 18.

I double checked the release notes for developer beta 1 of macOS Sequoia 15.1 and iOS 18.1, and confirmed the key portions.

Here is a relevant section of the beta 1 release notes:

iOS 18.1

Apple Intelligence is available on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple Intelligence is not currently available in the EU or China.

macOS Sequoia 15.1

Apple Intelligence is available on Macs with M1 and later. Apple Intelligence is not currently available in China.

The difference between the notes is clear: while Apple Intelligence is currently blocked in China on all platforms, the EU is only excluded from iOS and iPadOS, not the Mac.

Macs not subject to the same EU requirements as iPhones and iPads

This makes sense, too, because the reason Apple cited for not bringing Apple Intelligence to the EU was the DMA (Digital Markets Act). It was concerned that Apple Intelligence may not comply with the DMA’s requirements. As a result, while the company is actively in discussions with EU regulators about launching Apple Intelligence there, it is holding off for now.

But the Mac isn’t impacted by the same requirements of the DMA as iPhones and iPads are. So in theory, Apple should have no objection to launching Apple Intelligence in the EU.

These release notes could very well change in the future, but as of now, it seems likely that Apple Intelligence may reach EU users when macOS Sequoia 15.1 launches. Provided, of course, that their Mac is set to use U.S. English.

Would you be interested in using Apple Intelligence on the Mac only? Let us know in the comments.