[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"branding":3,"analytics":7,"article-developers-press-doj-on-scope-of-a-possible-apple-settlement":10,"sections":41},{"siteName":4,"siteTagline":5,"publisherName":4,"contactEmail":6},"The Revision","Tech news, decoded.","editor@therevision.news",{"gaMeasurementId":8,"adsenseClientId":9},"G-ZW2MV82GYR","ca-pub-8533917693782264",{"article":11},{"id":12,"slug":13,"title":14,"dek":15,"body_md":16,"tags_json":17,"published_at":18,"created_at":19,"updated_at":20,"status":21,"review_note":22,"review_notes":23,"image_url":22,"persona_id":22,"persona_name":22,"section":30,"tags":31,"sources":36,"feedback":40,"feedback_at":22,"cost_usd":40,"total_tokens":40},11693,"developers-press-doj-on-scope-of-a-possible-apple-settlement","Developers Press DOJ on Scope of a Possible Apple Settlement","Epic Games and others worry a deal may change little, since rival smartwatches lack Apple Watch integration and payment apps still face disadvantages.","Developers, Epic Games among them, are telling the Department of Justice (DOJ) that a negotiated settlement of its Apple antitrust case may not loosen Apple's grip on the iPhone by much, according to The Information.\n\nOfficials have reportedly said they favor a negotiated resolution. They have asked developers to suggest ways the iPhone could work better with other companies' products. The talks center on interoperability, meaning how well third-party hardware and services plug into the iPhone, including competing accessories and payment services. Proton, the privacy-focused company behind Proton Mail, said it doubted Apple would accept terms that developers would find satisfactory.\n\nThe worry is about degree, not direction. Rival smartwatches lack much of the integration the Apple Watch gets. Competing payment apps reportedly still face disadvantages even after gaining access to near-field communication (NFC), the technology behind contactless payments.\n\nThe DOJ filed its lawsuit in March 2024. It alleged that restrictions affecting messaging, digital wallets, smartwatches, cloud gaming, and multipurpose apps helped Apple unlawfully protect its smartphone monopoly. Apple rejected the allegations and argued that the government's proposed intervention would threaten its ability to design integrated products.\n\nApple has already moved on some of these points. It added Rich Communication Services (RCS) support to Messages with iOS 18, improving messaging with Android phones, and opened NFC access to third-party contactless transactions starting with iOS 18.1. The Information also reported that Apple offered interoperability concessions during an earlier attempt to avert the lawsuit.\n\nOur reading: the NFC example shows why the wording of any deal matters. Access to a feature and equal footing on it are different things, and developers are signaling that they want the second. A settlement built around changes Apple has already shipped would be easy for Apple to accept and hard for critics to call meaningful. One that reaches areas like smartwatches would collide with the integrated-design argument Apple has made since the suit began. The current negotiations have no agreement, and The Information reported that Apple could still resist the broader changes developers want.","[\"apple\",\"antitrust\",\"interoperability\",\"epic games\"]","2026-10-16T13:41:29.000Z","2026-10-17T23:22:10.410Z","2026-10-17T23:22:10.644Z","published",null,[24],{"id":25,"reviewer":26,"round":27,"reason":28,"status":29},"editor-r1","editor",1,"Name The Information as the source of the reporting instead of the vague 'according to reporting on the talks', and fix the dek, which claims Apple's past concessions left gaps in smartwatches when the source only says rival smartwatches lack Apple Watch integration and that only payments (NFC) still carry disadvantages. Also introduce Proton properly, and flag the unsourced framing in the lede that a settlement could leave the iPhone 'about as closed as it is today'.","resolved","policy",[32,33,34,35],"apple","antitrust","interoperability","epic games",[37],{"name":38,"url":39},"MacRumors","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.macrumors.com\u002F2026\u002F10\u002F16\u002Fdevelopers-question-scope-of-antitrust-settlement\u002F",0,{"sections":42},[43,48,53,57,62,67,72,77,82,87,92,97,102,107],{"name":44,"slug":45,"count":46,"latest_published_at":47},"AI","ai",7038,"2026-10-17T19:58:31.000Z",{"name":49,"slug":50,"count":51,"latest_published_at":52},"Security","security",1001,"2026-10-17T22:20:00.000Z",{"name":54,"slug":30,"count":55,"latest_published_at":56},"Policy",538,"2026-10-17T19:38:12.000Z",{"name":58,"slug":59,"count":60,"latest_published_at":61},"Deals","deals",521,"2026-10-17T07:00:00.000Z",{"name":63,"slug":64,"count":65,"latest_published_at":66},"Hardware","hardware",260,"2026-10-17T19:55:36.000Z",{"name":68,"slug":69,"count":70,"latest_published_at":71},"Consumer Tech","consumer-tech",235,"2026-10-16T23:36:26.000Z",{"name":73,"slug":74,"count":75,"latest_published_at":76},"Science","science",202,"2026-10-16T11:00:53.000Z",{"name":78,"slug":79,"count":80,"latest_published_at":81},"Startups","startups",133,"2026-10-14T19:51:34.000Z",{"name":83,"slug":84,"count":85,"latest_published_at":86},"Software","software",128,"2026-10-14T22:23:48.000Z",{"name":88,"slug":89,"count":90,"latest_published_at":91},"Dev Tools","dev-tools",116,"2026-10-13T16:20:18.000Z",{"name":93,"slug":94,"count":95,"latest_published_at":96},"General","general",81,"2026-10-16T16:06:38.000Z",{"name":98,"slug":99,"count":100,"latest_published_at":101},"Gaming","gaming",77,"2026-10-17T16:59:39.000Z",{"name":103,"slug":104,"count":105,"latest_published_at":106},"Reviews","reviews",37,"2026-10-14T10:00:00.000Z",{"name":108,"slug":109,"count":110,"latest_published_at":111},"How-To","how-to",8,"2026-10-05T09:00:00.000Z"]