The European Union will force tech giants to give third parties access to software and hardware

The European Union is set to shake up the tech industry by making major players like Google, Facebook, and Apple open their doors to third parties, according to a report by Alltech Magazine. Here's what's happening:

The Internal Market Committee of the European Parliament has reached a preliminary agreement on a new regulation under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This regulation will compel "gatekeeper" companies to grant third parties access to both the software and hardware components of the products they sell.

Imagine Apple having to allow third-party app stores on your iPhone and even making it easier for you to manually install downloaded apps. Apple is not thrilled about this because it could cut into the commission fees they make from the App Store. They argue that it might compromise user security, even though similar practices are already in place on their computers.

But it doesn't stop at apps. Popular messaging services like iMessage and WhatsApp will also have to open up their infrastructure to other chat apps like Telegram or Signal. This means users can chat with one another, no matter which app they prefer.

Lastly, the regulation pushes for more hardware openness, particularly targeting Apple, which currently restricts third-party access to the NFC connection, mainly used for Apple Pay.

The DMA is set to be voted on in the European Parliament in July, with effects taking place 20 days after it's published in the Official Journal of the European Union. This could reshape the digital landscape in Europe and beyond. Stay tuned for more on this evolving tech saga.