Apple says EU rules are delaying some fitness-friendly features - here’s what it means for Watch users

If you’ve wondered why some of Apple’s headline software tricks aren’t turning up in Europe, the Watch-cobbler has just spelled it out.

In a statement about the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), the company has revealed how certain features are being held back in Europe, and a few of the affected bits land in the fitness and everyday activity arena.

If you're an Apple Watch user in Europe, here's how the delays will affect you.

What's the deal?

The main delays that will hit those who run, walk or cycle with an Apple Watch in the EU include the “Visited Places” and “Preferred Routes” features in the Maps app.

These are the sort of tools that help you rediscover regular loops, avoid dodgy junctions, and keep tabs on where you’ve actually been. Apple’s reasoning is that it stores that location data on the device itself, and right now it hasn’t found a way to share the underlying capability “with other developers” (as the DMA demands) without exposing users’ locations.

So that's why it’s not shipping the features in the EU just yet.

Knock-ons you’ll actually feel

As a result of the delays, there are a few wider knock-ons that Watch users will notice. Apple has mentioned that a riskier app landscape is one of these, basically, more ways to download apps, more payment systems, and more marketplaces, which means more friction figuring out what’s safe and who’s responsible if things go wrong. For Watch owners who rely on trusted workout apps and clean subscription billing, that extra faff isn't a dealbreaker, but it's not exactly ideal either.

Apple also says third parties in the EU can now request access to sensitive phone data. This includes the content of notifications (think messages, medical alerts) and your Wi-Fi history, which can reveal places you’ve visited, like clinics or gyms. Apple says this is because it has to meet most requests, even when it thinks they’re risky, which is not the reassurance you want alongside storing your health data.

What’s actually coming later?

Beyond Maps, Apple lists iPhone Mirroring and Live Translation with AirPods as other EU delays. They’re not fitness features per se, but they’re the kind of quality-of-life tools gym-goers might use - and Apple says it isn’t shipping them here until it can make them work with non-Apple products securely. That’s the main problem here - under the DMA, the brand says it can’t launch some features to EU users until they also work for other companies.

So, if you’re in the EU, you can expect the Apple Watch and iPhone experience to feel a touch more fragmented for a bit - especially around route management and the app ecosystem you lean on for training.

On the upside, none of these delays will step you tracking runs or closing rings, but it does mean some of the smarter, privacy-first perks might arrive a little later than elsewhere.