When Apple CEO Tim Cook is asked about a thorny, controversial overseas issue, he usually says that Apple follows the law in every country where it operates.
When reporters or analysts ask Apple CEO Tim Cook about a thorny, controversial overseas issue facing the iPhone maker, he often says that Apple follows the law in every country where it operates.
Now, Apple is reportedly working to follow a law that could force major changes to the iPhone and disrupt Apple’s lucrative app distribution model.
Apple is developing software to comply with new European Union requirements scheduled to go into effect in 2024, according to Bloomberg News. Nothing is final, but Apple is considering changes including allowing third-party browser engines, giving wallet apps access to the phone’s NFC chip, and switching the charging port to USB-C from the company’s proprietary Lightning connector, according to the report.
These changes would address longstanding consumer complaints and would give third-party apps — including mobile wallets like PayPal’s Venmo and mobile browsers such as Google Chrome — a better chance to compete against Apple’s built-in apps. The USB-C charger change would mean most people could pack one charger for their phone and laptop.
But the biggest reported change is that Apple is working to allow direct downloads, or „sideloading“ of apps from the web, including potentially third-party app stores, onto iPhones.
Currently, the iPhone’s App Store is the only way to download software onto iPhones.
At first glance, this would seem to address the biggest antitrust complaint Apple has faced over the past decade. Apple makes a huge amount of profit from its App Store, which takes a cut of up to 30% from digital sales made through any app it distributes.
Many companies, including Coinbase, Epic Games, Match, Meta, Microsoft, Spotify and Twitter, have grumbled about Apple’s fees and the fact that Apple can delay updates or remove an app over violations of App Store policy. Match and Spotify stock jumped on the Tuesday report.
But developers need to wait to check the fine print in an official announcement before celebrating.
