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Apple flag in front of an Apple Store: in the future more options for app downloads on iPhones in the EU
Photo: Julian Stratenschulte / dpa
Apple has announced that it will allow iPhone users in the EU to download and install apps from the web.
The detour via the company's App Store or alternative app stores, which Apple calls "alternative marketplaces", could therefore no longer be necessary for some apps in the future.
The company announced the innovation with a meager announcement on their developer website.
The company did not provide any specific information as to when downloads of iPhone apps from the web will be possible.
The announcement only states that the functionality will be rolled out “later in the spring” via a software update.
Just last week, the US company not only introduced new emojis with iOS 17.4, but also new rules for alternative app stores in the EU.
They stipulate that third-party providers will be able to bring such alternative offers onto the market in the future as competition to Apple's App Store.
Apple is thus bowing to the new rules of the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Among other things, it stipulates that large platform operators, which the EU calls “gatekeepers”, must allow the download of apps from external sources.
Mandatory fee for popular free apps
However, anyone who wants to offer such an alternative app store must meet a series of requirements that Apple outlines on its developer pages.
The third-party marketplaces are ultimately apps that other apps are allowed to install.
And only if these apps have previously been certified by Apple, by which the company means a basic check for stability, security and possibly hidden malware.
The company also charges a so-called core technology levy of 50 cents per initial installation for free apps that have been downloaded and installed at least a million times within twelve months.
This fee is also due if developers offer their app for download directly from their website.
The prerequisite for all of this is that the providers have agreed to the new additions to the general terms and conditions for the EU.
Only for download millionaires
In order to be able to offer web downloads of their apps, developers have to meet a few conditions anyway.
This includes being registered with the Apple Developer Program with an address within the EU and having been a continuous member for at least two years.
The highest hurdle, however, is likely to be that they have to have an app "that was installed more than a million times on iOS in the EU in the previous calendar year." This should mean that the majority of free apps are gone.
A support website with further information for developers also states that apps that are offered via websites "must meet the notarization requirements, like all iOS apps."
Apple wants to review such apps in the same way as those offered in alternative app stores.
In addition, Apple requires that the website in question is registered to and operated by the respective developer.
In addition, apps can only be installed from websites "that the developer has registered in App Store Connect." In this way, the company wants to protect "platform integrity" and prevent malware from getting onto iPhones.
More design options
In addition to the possibility of app downloads from the web, Apple has introduced two other innovations.
On the one hand, operators of alternative app marketplaces are now only allowed to offer apps developed by themselves, which was previously not permitted.
This could be relevant for the gaming company Epic Games, which has announced that it wants to bring its game “Fortnite,” which has been banned from the App Store for years, back to Apple devices via its own app store.
Finally, developers are now allowed to use their own themes when asking users to “complete a transaction for digital goods or services on an external website.”
Previously, she had to use design templates provided by Apple.
These are now optional.