Apple’s App Store opened the iPhone to a world of new possibilities. Since its launch in 2008 it has been the only official place for users to get access to applications, however, that’s about to change.
In Europe, iOS users will be able to download third-party app stores, starting with the iOS 17.4 update that is scheduled to come in March this year. For comparison, Android users have had access to third party stores such as Amazon App Store and Samsung Apps for many years. Apple users had to result to jailbreaking their device to sideload apps from other sources.
After the update, Apple will let users set a third-party marketplace as their default app store in the settings of their phone. iOS 17.4 will prompt users to choose a default browser, which could be an alternative to Safari (Apple already allows people to pick their own default browser, but the prompt is new). Likewise, they’ll be able to choose their own default payment service, as Apple expands developer access to the NFC capabilities on its devices.
In case you are wondering what brought the sudden openness from Apple, it’s because of EU legislation called the Digital Markets Act, or DMA, which was adopted back in 2022. DMA guarantees people in Europe choice when it comes to the digital services they want to use. It means companies have to create a level playing field. The EU has put the DMA compliance deadline on March.
So far, Apple hasn’t revealed if it will bring the same choice to users in the US or other markets. However, the company is opening its App Store to allow game streaming services, from Xbox, GeForce and others, to offer full-featured apps. In other words, developers can now submit a single app with the capability to stream all of the games offered in their catalog as well as offer mini-apps, mini-games, chatbots, and plug-ins.