5 different App Stores: Apple’s argument against sideloading

After the approval of the DMA by the European Union, Apple has two options: adapt its business model in the App Store to comply with antitrust regulations or defend its current structure. In this regard, Apple has presented an argument as interesting as surprising: it claims to operate not one, but five different App Stores. An argument that is part of its strategy to counter pressures towards sideloading, the installation of applications from unofficial sources.

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Different stores with different audience

In a recent plea before a European court, as reported by Reuters, Apple claimed that its App Store is not a single entity. According to the company, there are five different App Stores, each dedicated to a type of device: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. This differentiation is crucial to their argument, as it suggests that there is not a single platform, but rather multiple platforms adapted to their respective devices and operating systems.

In this argument, we must include the fact that third-party applications are already allowed on Mac. In this sense, no matter how many times Apple repeats that “sideloading is the best friend of criminals,” here the regulation would already be fulfilled. Based on this differentiation and recalling 6 novelties that will come to iOS 17 in 2024 and will change it forever, the argument gains strength, because simply by being present in the market, the Apple TV store and the Apple Watch store would probably not reach the necessary number of users to fall within the scope of the DMA.

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Although Apple’s argument about the existence of multiple App Stores is completely valid from a technical perspective, it is not clear if this differentiation will be enough. We have no knowledge of Apple’s intentions and strategy regarding the new European regulation, but what is clear is that it is laying the groundwork for different arguments. We will see how the case evolves and what position the company takes when the time comes.