European regulators are forcing Apple to give Meta access to the same seamless pairing technology that makes AirPods snap onto iPhones and sync across devices — and American intellectual property is the casualty.
Under the EU's Digital Markets Act, Brussels is compelling Apple to build a new API that would let third-party accessories like Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses and Quest headsets pair automatically across a user's Apple devices, just like AirPods and Apple Watch do today. Meta filed its interoperability request in October 2025, and Apple is now complying — but only within EU borders, and only because it has no choice.
Apple told Meta on February 4 that it plans to share cryptographic session keys on a per-accessory, one-time-consent basis, according to Apple's EU Interoperability Request page. Development is expected to finish by spring 2027, with shipment
