Apple has announced that software developers will be able to distribute their apps in the EU through online stores other than the App Store, a historic move that comes as Apple must comply with the new European Digital Markets (DMA) law. This is not the only change the company will make.

So, for the first time, owners of Apple terminals will be able to download applications outside of the App Store. Apple is famous for its closed ecosystem, which the company has always talked about as a guarantee of security and provides the best experience for users, since no one risks downloading dangerous applications. A closed ecosystem provides Apple with a good income.

The changes are applied from March, with the release of iOS 17.4.

Apple officials have warned that these changes the company is forced to make could create security risks for the company’s terminals, but Apple says it is developing technologies to minimize those risks.

Phil Schiller, the head of the Apple Store, said that 2024 is a year when elections are held in dozens of countries around the world, and how many computer threats circulate, especially in the form of malware. Users are at risk if they download apps from other online stores that don’t meet Apple’s security standards.

The commissions that developers listed on the App Store must pay will also decrease, from an average of 30% to 17%, and for a large number of developers, the commission will drop to 10% after the first year. The fee structure changes only for the EU region.

Apple will allow iPhone users in the EU to choose a default web browser other than Safari, and they will also be able to choose their preferred contactless payment app other than Apple Pay. As for the browser, when a user opens Safari for the first time, they will see a list of web browsers to choose from. Until now, you could only make changes after searching the menu.

The DMA regulation, which applies to companies with more than 45 million users in the EU and a market capitalization of more than 75 billion euros, says, among other things, that tech giants must make their apps compatible with competitors’ apps and that users have the right to decide which apps can be pre-installed at the terminals.

Sources, Reuters, AFP, Bloomberg

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