Apple is opening up web distribution for iOS apps targeting users in the European Union starting Tuesday. Participating developers — who meet Apple’s criteria, including app notarization requirements — will be able to offer iPhone apps for direct download to EU users from their own websites.
It’s a huge change for a mobile ecosystem that otherwise prevents so-called “sideloading.” Apple’s walled garden stance has allowed it to funnel virtually all iOS developer revenue through its own App Store in the past. But in the EU, that moat is being dismantled as a result of new regulations that apply to the App Store, with which the iPhone maker is expected to comply from the beginning of last month.
In March, Apple announced that a web distribution right would soon be coming to its mobile platform as part of changes aimed at complying with the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The EU-wide regulation places a set of obligations on tech giants within the scope that lawmakers hope will level the competitive playing field for business users of the platforms, as well as protect consumers from big tech.
Briefing reporters on the latest development in the EU’s app ecosystem on Tuesday, ahead of the official announcement, an Apple spokesperson said that developers who want to distribute iOS apps directly will be able to exercise the right through beta 2 of iOS 17.5.
To do this, developers will have to opt-in to Apple’s new EU business terms, which include a new ‘basic technology fee’ charged at €0.50 for every first annual install of more than 1 million in the last 12 months; regardless of where the applications are distributed. App developers who wish to avoid the charge currently have no choice but to remain under Apple’s old terms of business, which means they cannot access any of the DMA rights.
In previous DMA changes, the app was opened up to allow marketplace apps in the EU where developers can run their own app stores on iOS, including marketplaces consisting only of their own apps.
Additional DMA-based reforms include more flexibility from Apple regarding in-app payments, as well as a ban on common anti-steering measures. This means that iOS developers who opt into the new Terms and Conditions can notify their users of cheaper deals available outside of Apple’s App Store.
Back to the new web distribution option for iOS apps, Apple’s criteria for developers who want to distribute their software directly includes being in good standing with its developer program. certify that it handles issues such as IP disputes and government takedown requests; and commit to providing iOS users with customer service, as Apple will not provide such support for iOS apps downloaded outside of its App Store.
It also stresses that all web-distributed applications must meet notarization requirements, which it says are intended to protect the integrity of the platform.
An Apple spokesperson described it as a basic safety and security standard, which he said iOS users expect to ensure their device is protected from external threats.
The company continues to argue that app sideloading poses inherent security risks to mobile users, suggesting it is trying to find a way to comply with the DMA while taking steps to limit the risks the changes pose to its users.
The first time an iOS user attempts to download an app from a developer’s website, they must authorize the developer to install apps directly on their device. Apple’s current design of the authorization flow is multi-step and requires users to verify that they wish to grant a developer license via the iOS settings menu and clicking “allow” on subsequent permission pop-ups (the other option, eg deny permission, read “ignore”).
After going through this multi-step flow and approving a developer, any future direct downloads involve fewer steps, per Apple.
The design of the tracking feed shown by Apple during the update includes a screen notifying users that “updates and purchases in this app will be managed by the developer,” along with a suggestion to “verify the information below before installation,” which appears above a card showing some basic app information and screenshots, as well as a link to see “more” information.
Apple maintains that these steps and the information that iOS displays to users during the authorization process for direct web downloads are reasonable security measures. the DMA allows gatekeepers to implement these steps to protect the integrity of the platform.
However, critics of Apple’s DMA approach have decried such pop-ups as “bully screens”, arguing that the flow it designs is intended to cause friction and deter iOS users from leaving Apple’s garden – like implying that direct downloads are more dangerous than downloading through Apple’s App Store.
Apple’s approach to a number of other elements of DMA compliance is under investigation by the European Commission, so at least some of that criticism has prompted EU enforcers to take a closer look at its view of what the law requires.
Last month, the Commission announced it was reviewing Apple’s rules on App Store steering and the design of opt-in screens for alternatives to the Safari web browser, which is another regulated core platform service under the DMA. The EU has also announced some “exploratory steps” in relation to Apple’s new iOS fee structure, but for now the new basic technology fee is in place.
Given that Apple has only just started implementing web distribution for iOS apps, it remains to be seen whether the EU will step in to take a closer look at this aspect of its DMA compliance as well.
It’s also unclear how much demand there will be among iOS developers for direct web distribution. Asked about it, Apple said it heard from some app developers that they want the option, but also pointed out that it’s a new feature that’s just starting to roll out, saying it’s not sure how many developers will actually want to take advantage of the feature. selection. The option is next to the existing (established) and still available App Store distribution option.
In the EU, developers now have a third route to reach users: They can submit a purchase application to Apple asking it to distribute their software through their own alternative store hosted on its platform.
