With strings attached
Apple’s walled garden is being further dismantled – in EU member states at least. Apple has announced that iPhone (and iPad) users in the EU will soon be able download apps directly from websites, just as you can on Windows or macOS.
The new options for app distribution (via MacRumors) also give developers more control over how in-app transactions are handled outside of the official App Store, as well as allowing third-party app stores to offer apps or games from a sole developer.
It’s the web downloads that are the biggest change here though, and they’ll be enabled via a software « later this spring » according to Apple – so probably March or April. The most recent iOS 17.4 update landed last week, enabling third-party app stores to run on the iPhone in the EU for the first time.
