The moment that many have been waiting for has arrived. This week, Apple has announced that it will open its App Store in the European Union so that developers can distribute their apps in alternative digital stores. These changes comply with the requirements of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and will be implemented for EU users in March of this year.
But Apple hasn’t been very happy about being forced to introduce these changes. In the documentation for developers that describes the changes throughout the App Store system in the European Union, the company explains why alternative app stores, alternative payment options, and other updates are limited to the EU.
Apple claims that these changes are introducing significant risks for users and developers, by introducing “new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, illicit and harmful content, and other threats to privacy and security”.
In addition, Apple says that the updates compromise their ability to “detect, prevent, and take action” against malicious applications, and also to help users affected by issues with apps downloaded outside the App Store. “We limit these changes to the European Union because we are concerned about their impact on the privacy and security of our users’ experience, which remains our guiding star,” writes Apple.
To limit the risk, Apple requires that alternative app stores undergo a verification process that will check for the presence of malware and viruses, without Apple evaluating the content of the apps at any time. Although this verification will be a good preventive measure, Apple states that the alternative app store system poses risks to “privacy, security, and the protection of users and developers”.
Looking ahead, Apple plans to engage in dialogue with the European Union, the developer community, and EU users about the implications of alternative app stores. Outside of the EU, app developers must continue to use the App Store and in-app purchase system as usual.
