Free Software communities need interoperability to build meaningful alternatives to dominant mobile platforms, but the gap between a legal right and a usable one is vast. This talk focuses on what Article 6(7) of the Digital Markets Act means concretely for developers targeting iOS and Android: how to initiate an interoperability request, what obstacles to expect, and how to navigate a process that is often opaque, resource-intensive, and designed to discourage smaller or volunteer-driven projects.

Beyond explaining the mechanics, this session introduces the FSFE's DMA Interoperability Survey as a community-driven instrument for collective action. By documenting individual experiences with gatekeepers, developers contribute to a shared body of evidence that no single project could build alone, evidence that can directly counter the technical and legal narratives gatekeepers use to justify non-compliance or minimal implementation.

The talk is also an open call: to developers who have already tried to access platform APIs or request interoperability, and to those with the technical depth to scrutinize gatekeeper claims and help regulators understand what genuine interoperability would look like. Enforcement of the DMA will not happen through regulation alone, it depends on sustained, technically informed community participation. This session is a starting point for building that participation together.