Apple’s walled garden is being progressively destroyed, at least in EU member states. Apple has stated that iPhone (and iPad) customers in the EU will soon be able to download programs directly from websites, exactly like Windows and macOS.
The new app distribution options (via tomsguide) provide creators more control over how in-app transactions are handled outside of the official App Store, as well as the ability for third-party app stores to offer apps or games created by a single developer.
The major change here, however, is the addition of web downloads, which will be allowed via a software update “later this spring” according to Apple, which means March or April. The most recent iOS 17.4 upgrade arrived last week, enabling third-party apps For the first time, retailers in the European Union will run on iPhones.
This is all in response to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires Apple to make it easier for third-party developers to publish apps on iPhone. None of these improvements will be implemented in the United States, Australia, or the United Kingdom, though the latter is developing its own version of the DMA.
Caveats connected
The addition of web app downloads to iOS (and iPadOS) does not imply that anyone will be allowed to publish an app online for download: developers must have been in the official developer program for at least two years and have an app with more than a million installs in the EU in the previous year.
There will be ongoing responsibilities to meet, such as being upfront about data gathering procedures and registering a web domain with the App Store. Apple will still have some control over which apps you can and cannot download through a web browser.
Apple’s argument, as it has always been, is that granting app access in this manner harms privacy and It reduces Apple’s control over third-party apps, compromising user security. The corporation is complying with the DMA, but reluctantly.
The EU has also fined Apple €1.8 billion (about $1.96 billion / £1.54 billion / AU$2.98 billion) for prohibiting competing music streaming services (such as Spotify) from offering lower prices on iOS. The ruling is presently being appealed.
