Katarzyna Petru
The first beta of iOS 26.3 reveals details of a new mechanism designed to prepare the iPhone for upcoming European Union regulations. This concerns the obligation to allow the forwarding of notifications to third-party devices – one of the more controversial provisions of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Apple has long criticized this requirement, pointing to potential risks to user privacy and security. The company argues that notifications can contain extremely sensitive data – the content of messages, emails, medical alerts, or other information that even Apple’s own apps currently do not have access to. Nevertheless, the company has been preparing the system to comply with the new rules for several months.
New notification forwarding interface
In iOS 26.3, Apple added a new Notification Forwarding section in the system settings (Settings > Notifications). This is where the user will be able to specify a third-party device to which notifications from the iPhone should be forwarded.
The feature is based on a new public framework AccessoryNotifications, which has yet to be documented – Apple has not released an official SDK for iOS 26.3. However, it can be assumed that accessory manufacturers will soon receive tools to integrate with this mechanism. Once notification forwarding is enabled, the user will be able to – just like with the Apple Watch – decide which applications can send their alerts to the external device.
Only one accessory at a time
The most important limitation of the current implementation concerns the number of supported devices. Notification Forwarding works exclusively with one accessory at any given time. Apple clearly states that once this feature is enabled, notifications will no longer appear on the Apple Watch. This is a significant compromise – on one hand, it allows the company to meet EU requirements, while on the other hand, it limits access to sensitive data and minimises the risk of further dissemination.
Data Scope Notice and Compliance with DMA
During setup, the system informs the user that the notifications being transmitted include the application name and the entire content of the alert. However, Apple avoids presenting this feature as a threat to privacy or security, despite previously raising this argument multiple times in discussions with regulators.
The new interface in iOS 26.3 shows that Apple intends to implement EU requirements in the most controlled way possible – with clear restrictions, strong user control, and without automatically sharing data across multiple devices simultaneously. This is another example of a "minimal compliance" strategy, wherein the company formally adheres to the provisions of the DMA while maintaining as much influence as possible over the functionality of new features in the iOS ecosystem.
How this implementation will perform in practice – and how much accessory manufacturers will benefit from it – will only become clear after the final release of iOS 26.3 and the publication of official developer tools.
