Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Jose, California, on Monday, June 4, 2018.
David Paul Morris | David Paul Morris Bloomberg | Getty Images
Apple said that in the latest change enforced by the European Commission’s Digital Markets Act, iPhone users in the EU will be able to download apps from the website rather than through the App Store or competing app stores.
This is a major reversal apple. The company has opposed online downloads of iPhone software, often called sideloading, for years, citing security concerns and Apple’s right to dictate its user experience.
Tuesday’s announcement is the latest example of the Digital Markets Act forcing Apple to make long-standing changes to its App Store business processes. The DMA aims to force “gatekeepers” – large tech companies including Apple – to open their platforms to smaller rivals.
The online download program will launch later this spring and will require developers to meet “certain criteria”, such as having an app downloaded more than 1 million times in Europe. Apple said it will still charge fees.
Apple said it could also offer an App Store for iPhones in Europe as long as it only provided access to one company’s apps.
“Distributing apps directly from the website requires responsibility and oversight of the user experience, including the ability to manage apps and provide customer support and refunds,” Apple said in a support page posted on Tuesday. Empower developers after ongoing requests to help protect users.”
Under the DMA, Apple was forced to allow third-party app stores into Europe, reinstate antitrust rival Epic Games’ developer account and make changes to the ban amid a legal dispute. Web app shortcuts on iPhone home screen. Apple’s move shows that the European Commission will be able to successfully regulate Apple in the region by threatening fines and other actions for violations.
European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said that the European Commission is checking with Apple’s competitors (such as Spotify) to ensure that Apple’s new policy is consistent with Apple’s new policy. spirit of law.
“We want to hear from third parties,” Vestager told CNBC on Monday. “Did they get what the DMA was supposed to give them, which is an open market?”
Apple still plans to charge 50 euro cents for app downloads outside of its App Store, including web app downloads. Apple’s services business, which generated $78 billion in sales including subscriptions and other items in fiscal 2023, reported that Apple’s App Store fees are the company’s profit center.
Europe accounts for about 7% of Apple’s App Store revenue, the company said.
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