- Judith Akatugba
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Starting in March, Apple will permit users of its devices bought in the EU to utilize other app stores.
Currently, the company’s App Store is the only place where iPhone users can download apps.
Apple has consistently argued that its policies safeguard users’ security.
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However, it has been charged with establishing a monopoly, forcing clients and developers to utilize its own channels, and taking up to 30% of developers’ fees.
This has meant that the millions of users who use Apple devices are not exposed to developers who either do not want to pay Apple’s fees or do not meet Apple’s requirements to be listed on the App Store.
At this point, the UK’s Digital Markets Bill, which is still passing through Parliament, is expected to subject Apple’s business practices to a comparable level of regulatory scrutiny, although the reforms will not yet be implemented there.
Fortnite’s developer, Epic, is well known for pulling their popular game from the App Store due to issues with the store’s standards. It can still be played online, but it hasn’t been accessible on the App Store since 2020.
Theoretically, this action might allow European iPhone users to download the Fortnite software again through an alternative app store.
This action coincides with the implementation of the EU’s Digital Markets Act. The new law aims to level the playing field for smaller and established businesses by regulating the biggest corporations that control access to services like app stores and search engines.
Additionally, Apple promised to expand browser options, enabling European Union citizens to choose not to use the company’s Safari web browser from the moment they launch it.
Though it was establishing strict guidelines for all new alternative app stores and apps, it cautioned that customers will face more security risks as a result of this shift, as well as a higher chance of falling victim to fraud, malware, and scams concealed in programs downloaded from other sources.
“The changes we’re announcing today comply with the Digital Markets Act’s requirements in the European Union, while helping to protect EU users from the unavoidable increased privacy and security threats this regulation brings,” stated Apple.
The US tech company promises that its high-end goods provide an additional layer of security, which drives up the price.
There are already more marketplaces from which Android apps can be obtained. Malware is therefore significantly more prevalent on Android devices than Apple ones.
The goal of the UK’s plans as well as the new EU regulations is to preserve free and open markets that allow many businesses to coexist peacefully.
