EU Forces Apple to Ditch Proprietary Wi-Fi for Wi-Fi Aware

Under pressure from the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), Apple is abandoning its proprietary peer-to-peer Wi-Fi protocol, Apple Wireless Direct Link (AWDL), in favor of the industry-standard Wi-Fi Aware (NAN). An EU interoperability roadmap mandates Apple support Wi-Fi Aware 4.0 in iOS 19 and version 5.0 thereafter, effectively retiring AWDL. This article explores the history (from Wi-Fi Direct to AWDL to Wi-Fi Aware), Wi-Fi Aware's technical superiority, and why this shift unlocks true cross-platform peer-to-peer connectivity for developers. This means iPhones and Androids will finally speak a common language for local wireless networking, opening up possibilities for cross-platform apps and features.