There may be some genuinely good news on the horizon for Pebble users in the UK.
As some people here will know, Apple has been required by the EU's Digital Markets Act to open up considerably more of iOS to third-party connected devices. Some of the resulting APIs are very interesting for Pebble.
For example, Apple's new Accessory Notifications framework allows a third-party accessory to receive iPhone notifications, including their content and interactive actions.
More importantly, communication isn't only one-way: an accessory can send notification actions and text responses back to iOS. Apple even specifically supports different handling for incoming calls, alarms and timers:
“For specialized notification types, check kind to apply appropriate handling such as full-screen displays for incoming calls or distinct alert styles for alarms and timers.”
Apple — Accessory Notifications:
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/accessorynotifications
There's also a new Accessory Transport Extension framework providing secure communication between iOS and third-party accessories. Notification contents are encrypted by the system before being passed to the transport extension:
“Your transport extension sends the encrypted data to your accessory, but is unable to decipher the notification’s content.”
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/AccessoryTransportExtension
Apple has also introduced proximity-triggered pairing for third-party hardware, giving accessories something much closer to the seamless AirPods-style pairing experience:
https://developer.apple.com/proximity-pairing/
The catch: these features are EU-only
At the moment, ordinary users outside the EU can't use several of these new interoperability features.
Apple says explicitly for Accessory Notifications:
“You can develop and test an app that uses this framework on devices in any region. Customer installations of your app can only use the framework on devices located in the EU that are signed in with an Apple Account with an EU country or region.”
So those of us in the UK don't get it.
However, that might change — because the UK CMA is now pursuing Apple over essentially the same issue.
The UK regulator is specifically looking at third-party wearables
Under the UK's new digital markets competition regime, the Competition and Markets Authority has designated Apple's mobile platform as having Strategic Market Status, giving it powers to impose requirements on Apple.
The CMA has identified connected devices as one of the interoperability issues it intends to address. Its Apple roadmap says Apple's restrictions can:
“reduce the ability for third parties, including UK app developers, to compete effectively (particularly where these third parties compete with Apple’s own first-party services).”
It proposes potentially:
“Requiring that Apple enables interoperable access for third parties to key functionality in iOS and iPadOS in relation to key use cases”
CMA Apple roadmap (PDF):
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687f893cf2ecaeb756d0e1e6/Roadmap__Apple_.pdf
But it gets much more explicit in the CMA's 2026–27 Annual Plan.
Under interoperability, the CMA says it wants:
“Allowing wearables or other connected devices to connect to Apple’s mobile platforms on even terms with Apple’s own products”
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cma-annual-plan-2026-to-2027/annual-plan-2026-to-2027
That's potentially very significant for Pebble.
This isn't just a vague future ambition
Apple has already made commitments to the CMA which took effect on 1 April 2026.
Among other things, Apple has agreed to provide a process through which UK developers can request interoperable access to iOS/iPadOS functionality.
The CMA describes it as:
“Enabling developers to more easily request interoperable access to features and functionality within Apple’s mobile operating systems…”
and says:
“Apple has committed to considering requests fairly and objectively.”
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-secures-commitments-from-apple-and-google-to-improve-fairness-in-app-store-processes-and-enhance-ios-interoperability
Apple also has to report statistics including:
“interoperability requests received, outcomes and timeliness”
and the CMA says that if the voluntary measures aren't effective:
“we will not hesitate to move to formal requirements where necessary.”
Most importantly, the CMA's current programme of work, updated 14 August 2026, says:
“We expect to progress work in relation to Apple concerning browsers (removal of the WebKit restriction) as well as interoperable access to functionality for connected devices.”
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-cmas-programme-of-work-across-mobile-platforms
What could this mean for Pebble?
Nothing has been announced yet, so UK support for Apple's new accessory APIs is definitely not guaranteed.
But the pieces line up rather neatly.
The EU required Apple to improve interoperability with third-party connected devices. Apple consequently built APIs which allow third-party accessories to receive and interact with iPhone notifications, distinguish calls/alarms/timers, communicate securely with iOS, and get a much more Apple-like pairing experience.
Those capabilities are currently restricted to EU users.
Meanwhile, the UK CMA is independently targeting Apple's restrictions on connected devices and explicitly says its objective includes allowing wearables to connect to Apple's mobile platforms “on even terms with Apple's own products.”
Apple has already been required to establish a UK interoperability-request process, and the CMA says further work specifically concerning connected devices is coming.
And importantly, Apple has now already built much of the technical infrastructure needed to provide this interoperability in the EU. If the CMA ultimately requires similar access in Britain, Apple wouldn't necessarily need to invent a UK-specific solution — it could potentially make its existing accessory frameworks available here.
For Pebble, that could eventually mean substantially better iPhone integration.
It would be particularly interesting to know whether the rePebble team has already submitted — or plans to submit — an interoperability request to Apple under the new UK process.
And what about the US? 🇺🇸
The situation is less concrete than in the UK, but there's regulatory pressure there too.
The US Department of Justice's antitrust case against Apple specifically identifies Apple's treatment of third-party smartwatches as an example of allegedly anticompetitive behaviour. The DOJ argues that Apple restricts competing watches' access to iPhone functionality — including actionable notifications, which are exactly the sort of capability Apple's new EU APIs open up.
DOJ — United States v. Apple:
https://www.justice.gov/atr/case/us-and-plaintiff-states-v-apple-inc
So there isn't currently an EU/UK-style process that guarantees these APIs are coming to US Pebble users, and the outcome of the DOJ case is uncertain. But Apple is facing pressure on the same third-party smartwatch restrictions in the US as well.
Apple has also established a process through which developers outside the EU can request access to OS capabilities used by Apple's own services or accessories:
https://developer.apple.com/support/interop-request/
So the EU may ultimately prove to be where this more open accessory model starts, rather than where it ends.
Sources
Apple — Accessory Notifications
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/accessorynotifications
Apple — Accessory Transport Extension
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/AccessoryTransportExtension
Apple — Proximity-triggered pairing
https://developer.apple.com/proximity-pairing/
CMA — Apple roadmap
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/687f893cf2ecaeb756d0e1e6/Roadmap__Apple_.pdf
CMA — Annual Plan 2026–27
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cma-annual-plan-2026-to-2027/annual-plan-2026-to-2027
CMA — Apple interoperability commitments
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-secures-commitments-from-apple-and-google-to-improve-fairness-in-app-store-processes-and-enhance-ios-interoperability
CMA — Current mobile-platform programme of work
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-cmas-programme-of-work-across-mobile-platforms
US DOJ — United States v. Apple
https://www.justice.gov/atr/case/us-and-plaintiff-states-v-apple-inc
Apple — Interoperability requests
https://developer.apple.com/support/interop-request/