3rd party apps, I heard a while ago that EU is going to force apple to allow apps to be installet outside the Appstore, is there any progress in that?
3rd party apps, I heard a while ago that EU is going to force apple to allow apps to be installet outside the Appstore, is there any progress in that?
If something like that gets into the law, woud it apply on existing iphones or only new ones?
woud it apply on existing iphones or only new ones?
My guess would be all.
It will likely apply to a specific version of the phone’s OS. And any device that can run that version will have the capability.
More broadly, you are talking about sideloading. And yes, the code is likely already there for Apple to implement this. They are just waiting on the ruling and their day in court to oppose. It’ll be big.
It may be gated by EU initially, but it honestly won’t take long for the world to follow suit.
They have until March 2024 to comply or risk having fines based on global revenue, which they will not let happen. I think realistically we are looking at Dec/Jan.
Edit: correct year
They have until March 2023 to comply
somebody better let em know they missed the deadline!
I think Apple has said that they will only do this in the eu
It used to be that to install the Dev version of an app you had to pay the $99 Dev fee (basically you would copy that app as if you made it yourself )
Now you can install it for free, although there are still hoops to jump through.
Technically, I think the ability to sign enterprise apps (ie. Apps that can be side loaded for your company) cost $399/year.
I might be wrong, but I think those regulations will only become law in 2027.
I would guess that it could legally only apply to new phones from that date, but I don't think Apple or Google will split their ecosystem in two.
As I understand it, the Digital Markets Act came in to force in May of 2023. Apple was designated as a "gatekeeper" due to their restrictions on app installation this month (September 2023), and now has 6 months to comply with the DMA's rules.
The rules on messaging services for interoperability have been given longer periods to reach compliance.
I'm not sure if there any sort of appeals process that can be used to stall or reverse implementing the rules. Like a lot of EU acts, the DMA is rather complicated in the details.
A quick Google shows you're probably right, seems like March 2024 is the deadline.
