EU Compliance: iOS 26.3 Adds Notification Forwarding to Third-Party Wearables, Bypassing Apple Watch

In the latest iOS 26.3 beta, Apple has introduced a new feature called Notification Forwarding, which allows an iPhone to automatically relay incoming notifications to third-party wearable devices, without sending them to an Apple Watch. The EU-only feature represents a concession to comply with EU regulatory requirements, under the Digital Markets Act, and is available only to EU users.

Previously, notifications were forwarded by default to a paired Apple Watch, while third-party wearables could only receive them by granting blanket access to all notifications through their companion apps. The feature lets users selectively forward notifications from specific apps, with forwarded alerts including both the app name and the full message content on the target device. According to Apple, Notification Forwarding is currently limited to EU users and enables app-specific sharing choices.

The EU DMA requirement is described as the underlying reason for the change, with Apple aiming to provide third-party wearables with access to notifications previously reserved for the Apple Watch to avoid regulatory penalties. 16 December 2025.