Apple will allow users to run third-party app stores spurred by EU Laws
For a long time, Apple’s iOS system has been completely closed, and the only place where users can download applications is the App Store. In contrast, in addition to the application store provided by the manufacturer, Android users can also choose to download applications from third-party application stores.
According to Bloomberg, due to changes in EU regulatory policies, Apple is launching a new project that will allow third-party app stores to run on iPhones and iPads. The App Store provided by the replacement system will break the tradition of iOS products for more than a decade and may be launched as early as iOS 17, which will be released next year. Of course, this feature is only available in the EU.
Considering the security issues of third-party app stores, Apple has also put forward some security requirements, such as verification in a certain way, but it is unclear how to do it. Apple may still be debugging related functions, and there should be new information soon.
The European Union has launched multiple rounds of investigations into whether Apple uses the relevant terms of the App Store to impose unequal or anti-competitive terms on developers, which ultimately makes users choose fewer apps and plug-ins or pay higher prices. In particular, Apple and Epic Games have suffered huge losses due to the issue of Fortnite, which is still deleted from iOS devices to this day.
Epic Games is not the only large software developer that has similar conflicts with Apple. For example, Spotify has previously complained to the European Union that Apple is pushing its own music streaming service, arguing that Apple has unfair competition.
