The EU’s Digital Markets Act requires a lot of adjustments, which we especially notice at Apple. Apple’s iOS operating system has always been very closed off, but will now have to open its doors more and more. This is especially reflected in the App Store, which must now not only allow other app stores: people must also be able to download apps that they find on an internet site even outside the app store.
Download apps for your iPhone
You may already feel it coming, but this is of course a security risk and that is also why Apple is not a fan of it. If an app is placed in Apple’s own app store, it will undergo all kinds of security checks to ensure that no viruses are spread. If apps can soon be downloaded and installed directly from an internet page, this security check will be missing.
What exactly is going on? The EU must allow Apple to allow developers to post an app download from a website and iPhone users to also be able to download it without having to first go to the App Store. However, this does not apply to all developers: certain studios are allowed to offer their apps directly on their website and have them downloaded, only in EU countries. It will come to iPhone later this spring with a software update, because it requires a special tool that allows this web distribution.
The Apple Rules
However, that’s not all. Apple does want you to still follow Apple’s strict system. So you cannot just place it on any platform: you must first register that website within App Store Connect. In addition, people must first give permission on their iPhone that apps can be installed outside the App Store. That’s not surprising, because it has been working like this on Android for years: before you download a separate .apk from somewhere (such as apkmirror), you must first give permission for those apps to be downloaded and installed. Apple also authorizes those developers first and says it does this to protect users.
Sounds simple so far, but this is not all. As an app developer, you must be in good standing in the Apple Developer Program for more than two years and have an app installed more than one million times in a year in the EU (on iOS). You must also be registered in the EU, only offer apps from your developer account, respond to communications from Apple about your apps and publish transparent information about how you collect data. In addition, you must follow known laws (such as the Digital Services Act) and honor government requests when it comes to removing certain apps. So quite a laundry list. And, a nice detail: apps that are installed more than 1 million times a year have to pay 50 euro cents for each subsequent installation and update. So you still spend a lot of money on it, Apple. In short, app makers first have to pay a lot before they can count themselves rich with downloads from their website. And do a lot of ‘paperwork’.
