Apple’s Proximity Pairing feature is said to streamline how an iOS device recognises and connects to external accessories.
iPhone currently only supports fast pairing with proprietary devices like AirPods and Apple Watch
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Apple on Monday released the iOS 26.3 Beta update for iPhone to developers and beta testers. It includes fixes for bugs and software issues that users have experienced in previous iterations. The most notable change, however, concerns third-party accessories, in compliance with the European Union (EU)’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). As per a report, the update streamlines the process of pairing wearables like wireless earphones and smartwatches to iPhone and iPad, while also enabling notification support.
Apple Brings Support for Third-Party Accessories to iPhone
According to a MacRumors report, iOS 26.3 Beta hints at easier accessory pairing workflows for third-party Bluetooth devices. Code references discovered in the update hint towards a new mechanism that could potentially simplify the process of pairing wireless earphones, third-party smartwatches, and other accessories with an iPhone.
The in-development feature is said to streamline how an iOS device recognises and connects to external accessories and reduce complexity compared to the current process, which requires manual Bluetooth.
The report suggests that these interoperability changes are coming with a feature called Proximity Pairing. It is expected to work similarly to the current AirPods and Apple Watch process on iPhone, which requires the user to bring the device closer to the phone for pairing to begin. A pop-up menu will reportedly appear, and the non-MFI accessory will be paired, making it a one-step process.
Apart from this, the Cupertino-based tech giant’s latest beta update is also said to enable support for receiving notifications on third-party accessories like smartwatches. As per the report, users will be able to view and react to incoming notifications, similar to the Apple Watch. However, notifications can only be forwarded to one connected device at a time, which means enabling them for a third-party accessory will disable them for the Apple Watch, if they own one.
These changes are said to be an indicator of Apple’s further compliance with the EU’s DMA. However, they are reportedly limited to the region, which means only users residing in the EU can test them.
