With new European regulations set to take effect in the coming weeks, Apple is preparing to be required to allow users to download apps from sources other than the App Store. The company hasn’t provided details about how this process, called sideloading, will work, but after all, developers may not be allowed to circumvent the company’s fees and app review rules. It seems so.
wall street journal The App Store owner says it “plans to collect fees from developers who offer downloads outside of the App Store,” and that downloads that don’t go through the storefront will require some form of review. Sideloading is only offered to his iOS users within the European Union in order to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Law.
The report notes that while Apple’s plans have not yet been finalized, the strategy would be in line with another important change the company just made to its U.S. App Store policies. Last week, the company officially allowed U.S. developers to make in-app purchases that bypass the App Store’s billing system.
However, the new rules were enacted after a long legal battle with the United States. fortnite Developer Epic Games stipulates that developers must pay a hefty 27% fee on non-App Store purchases as well (some smaller developers charge as little as 12%). ). The new rules also give Apple the right to audit developer records to ensure compliance. This has already led to a lot of criticism from Epic, Spotify, and other developers who have long endured the App Store’s restrictive rules and fees.
Similar criticism from app makers could arise if Apple charges developers for sideloading. The Digital Markets Act is set to take effect on March 7, and while Apple has not yet announced plans to comply with the regulation, companies that previously clashed with Cupertino over the rule are already preparing. Spotify, which has long opposed the App Store board, is considering what the European version of its app will look like once users can pay for subscriptions and audiobooks within the app.
wall street journal Another vocalist, Meta, also reports that he is working on a project of his own that will allow developers to distribute their apps via Facebook ads. The initiative, reportedly internally referred to as “Project Neon,” could allow Facebook owners to compete more directly with the App Store, at least in Europe.