Apple plans to allow iOS developers in the European Union to distribute apps from the web rather than through the App Store.
The option will be available to qualifying developers “later this spring,” according to the Digital Markets Act, which imposes obligations on how Apple can operate designated App Stores and iOS. DMA). It is treated as a “core platform service” under the law.
“Web distribution, available in a software update later this spring, will allow authorized developers to distribute iOS apps directly to EU users from a developer-owned and operated website,” it reads. . “Apple provides access to APIs that make it easy for developers to distribute their apps from the web, integrate with system features, back up and restore users' apps, and more.”
Apps served through Apple's Web Distribution API must meet notarization requirements previously established by the company, which it says is necessary to “protect the integrity of the platform.” It can also be installed only from his website domain, which the developer has registered with her Apple on App Store Connect.
iOS users must also approve developers who install apps from the site through their iPhone settings. You'll also see a “system sheet” that contains the information a developer needs to submit to Apple for review, including app name, developer name, app description, screenshots, and system age rating. .
Apple's original proposal for DMA compliance did not allow web-based distribution of apps. But there has been outrage from developers, who accuse the bloc's lawmakers of narrow-minded and self-serving interpretations of the rules that seek to open up digital markets blocked by the market power of a small number of intermediary internet “gatekeepers.” facing.
The European Commission has also indicated it is keeping close tabs on Apple, and it's worth noting that just days after terminating the developer account of Epic Games, one of its most stinging developer criticisms, Apple was withdrawn and reinstated.
Apple made several other changes to its DMA compliance proposal last week, lowering certain standards it said it would apply to developers seeking DMA certification. But today's announcement appears to be more substantial, with Apple also lifting restrictions on alternative app marketplaces that had to offer catalogs of apps from other developers.
Now, effective immediately, Apple says that alternative app marketplaces can choose to offer only their own apps.
Further changes Apple announced today require developers who want to direct users to their websites to purchase digital goods to use their own design templates to link to the web for purchase. will be deleted.
The template is currently optional, and developers say they can choose how to design in-app promotions, discounts, and other deals when directing users to complete a transaction on their website.
In a note to developers, Apple said the changes will provide “more flexibility for developers distributing apps in the European Union, including introducing new ways to distribute apps directly from developer websites. I will,” he wrote.
This change requires developers to agree to Apple's new terms. This means signing up to our revised pricing structure, which includes a 'Core Technology' fee and will charge you €0.50 for every first annual install of 1 million or more in the last 12 months (app location regardless of). is distributed).
Apple said the fee reflects the value the company provides to developers through “continuous investments in the tools, technology, and services that enable them to build innovative apps and share them with users around the world.” It is claimed that there is.
Web distribution standards for iOS apps
Today's changes mean eligible iOS developers will soon be able to offer an alternative app store comprised of their own products and distributed from their own websites. But Apple still enforces additional standards in addition to requiring developers to sign up to new terms of service (and pay core technology fees).
Apple's criteria for eligibility for web distribution requires that the developer be established, resident, and/or registered in the EU (or that a subsidiary legal entity listed on App Store Connect is established, resident, and/or registered in the EU). , and/or registered) as well as meeting the following requirements: They say that in the developer program he has been a so-called “member in good standing” for more than two consecutive years. Last calendar year, he became the first app in the EU to have more than 1 million installs on his iOS app in a year.
Developers also respond to communications from developers, particularly regarding “deceptive, malicious, or illegal activity, or other activity that Apple believes impacts safety, security, or privacy.” It also stipulates that you must agree to various behavioral commitments, including committing to: Publish transparent data collection policies and give users control over how their data is collected and used. Comply with the applicable laws of the jurisdictions in which you operate (Apple cites the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as examples), and consumer protection laws. It is also responsible for handling requests to delist government and other apps.
Apple's clear requirement that developers comply with other EU laws looks particularly interesting in this context. Coalition members can't exactly complain about the terms. As such, applying a privacy and consumer rights lens to third-party businesses provides a path for Apple to police developer access to web distribution of iOS apps.
Last year, ad tech giant Meta launched its own alternative app store on iOS, with plans to take advantage of DMA's sideloading requirements to bypass Apple's App Store and distribute apps to users in the EU through Facebook ads. There were reports that it was being built. And while Apple's initial DMA compliance proposal seemed too narrow to allow for such a scenario, under the revised terms Apple announced today, distribution through its own ad network Meta's concept of a built-in iOS app looks possible.
However, there is one or several potential major problems. That means Meta's compliance with GDPR, DSA, and EU consumer protection law are all being challenged. In fact, the company has been found to have violated the GDPR multiple times since it began applying in 2018, and has since received a series of fines and corrective orders. Current attempts to force EU users to consent to tracking are being challenged through GDPR and consumer protection complaints. The EU has also questioned the compliance of this mechanism with the DSA.
Therefore, Apple may have good grounds to deny Web distribution to Meta. Or, indeed, there may be good grounds for denying his web distribution to other business models that are based on surveillance without user consent and have a long history of conflict with EU privacy law. .