Apple is bowing to the rules of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which come into force in March 2024. Among other things, iOS 17.4, which was made available to developers as a beta version for installation, will give iPhones in the European Union (EU) new options that were previously unthinkable in Apple’s ecosystem without a jailbreak.
As has been reported for months, iPhone owners in the EU will in future be able to obtain their apps from alternative stores in addition to Apple’s in-house app store and use other payment systems.
In addition, from March onwards, third-party browsers that are not based on Apple’s Webkit technology will also be permitted for the first time. This should particularly please Google’s developers, who have been saying for years that Apple’s Webkit is slowing down web development.
Despite the extensive opening of the iPhone ecosystem, Apple does not want to give up complete control. The manufacturer also makes it clear in its blog post how much the company dislikes these changes.
Already in the first paragraph The manufacturer writes that the EU-enforced changes to the DMA created privacy and security risks. In order to reduce this – “but not eliminate it” – Apple has introduced new controls and information as well as expanded protective measures.
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For months, Apple had vigorously defended itself against the EU’s requirements to allow alternative app stores and always argued that this was the only way to prevent harmful apps and content from finding their way onto Apple devices. In the current announcement, the company again points out that “the new options for processing payments and loading apps in iOS open up new opportunities for malware, fraud and attempted fraud, illegal and harmful content, and other threats to privacy and security “represented.
In order to “reduce these risks and provide users in the EU with the best possible and safest experience,” Apple is introducing some protective measures. These include the authentication of iOS apps, authorization for developers of the marketplace – Apple deliberately does not call them “stores” – and information on alternative payment options.
The topic of sideloading, i.e. the ability to install apps directly from a website, is not part of the announcement. It doesn’t seem to be an issue yet.
According to Apple, all developers can offer their own marketplaces – they just have to adhere to Apple’s guidelines. Both Meta and Microsoft had announced months ago that they would be bringing their own app marketplaces to iPhones – Epic also wants its game with its own store Fortnite bring back to iPhone. These alternative app stores – sorry: marketplaces – can in future be downloaded from the website of the respective marketplace provider.
In order to then be able to use them on an iPhone, these marketplaces must first go through Apple’s approval process. In addition, users of the marketplace must expressly give them permission to load apps onto the device. Once the marketplace is approved and installed on your iPhone, users should be able to download anything they want.
Loud The Verge This can also include apps that actually violate Apple’s App Store guidelines. It is also possible to set a marketplace as the default store instead of the app store on the device.
To ensure security on iPhones, Apple reserves the right to closely monitor the app distribution process. According to the manufacturer, all apps must be “notarized” and signed with a valid Apple certificate, and distribution via third-party marketplaces will continue to be managed by Apple’s systems, it is said. Developers are also only allowed to distribute a single version of their app in different app marketplaces and must meet some basic platform requirements such as scanning for malware.
Security and data protection play a major role in apps from marketplaces: The apps offered are subject to the standard security requirements of iOS. This means that they run in a sandbox and are therefore ultimately isolated from the system.
Furthermore, users must allow access to components such as location, microphone, camera and additional data separately. The same applies to the transparency in app tracking that Apple introduced a while ago.
If an app has been approved by Apple, developers will be able to decide in the future whether they want to offer their application either only in the App Store, as usual, only on one or more marketplaces, or via all sales channels.
Depending on which option and payment method you have chosen, there are different fees that you have to pass on to Apple. The unsurprisingly easiest option is to simply continue to stay loyal to Apple’s App Store. Because then everything stays as usual.
If they choose the new EU system under the DMA, developers will have to pay a commission of 10 or 17 percent to Apple for all digital goods and services – including subscriptions. Previously the fees were 15 and 30 percent respectively.
If developers leave their apps in the App Store, they can use the App Store’s payment processing for an additional fee of three percent. However, developers can also use a payment service provider within their app or direct users to their website to process payments to Apple without additional fees.
Apple also charges a so-called core technology fee for iOS apps that are sold via the App Store or an alternative marketplace. Developers must pay “0.50 euros for each first annual installation that exceeds a threshold of one million,” according to Apple. One of the companies that will pay this fee to Apple is Spotify. The Provider has already announcedto want to sell subscriptions and audio books to Apple.
You probably don’t know these iPhone functions yet
Aside from the new App Store rules, the EU is also calling on Apple to open up to other browser engines as part of the DMA. So far, all browsers that can be installed on the iPhone must use Apple’s Webkit engine – including Chrome and Firefox.
In Europe, this coercion is a thing of the past. From now on, browser developers can bring their own engines to iOS.
Google and Mozilla are already scratching their feet as they already have corresponding solutions in the works. So that users can see this, under iOS 17.4, when they open Safari for the first time, a selection dialog is displayed that allows them to set a different default browser.
Apple is also opening the App Store worldwide to allow game streaming services. Until now, these were all but forbidden due to Apple guidelines.
In addition, as the EU announced a few days ago, Apple will allow developers in the European Economic Area to offer NFC payments in their third-party apps.
The big changes to the App Store only apply in the 27 countries of the EU and there only for the iPhone. Apple’s iPads, which will receive iPadOS 17.4 in March, are not affected by the adjustments.
Only two aspects apparently apply to all Apple platforms: In the future, all app providers should be able to integrate their own payment service providers for in-app purchases or set a link to their own website. You are no longer forced to rely on Apple’s in-app purchase.
