Apple will allow users to download apps directly from a developer’s website, in latest EU App Store rule change
9to5mac.com
HUGE win for EU and for Developers with apps in Apple's App store! 🚀
HUGE win for EU and for Developers with apps in Apple's App store! 🚀
It’s not a win. Apple is still requiring apps to undergo app review and even more exorbitant fees than distributing through the App Store. Apple is doing their best to comply to the letter but not the spirit of the EU ruling.
Malicious Corporate Compliance
The only type of corporate compliance
It will be fixed. It's gov. So baby steps. The EU is working hard and it's going to be a while before we get everything we want.
Sure but hundreds of millions of dollars will go into compliance enforcement and litigation against Apple, which is taxpayer money. Apple should be fined Apple money right now for their bad-faith efforts to meet the requirements. They’ve already run the numbers, and they know making third party apps jump through all sorts of hoops, pay exorbitant fees, and fight the system tooth and nail is still cheaper than just complying in good faith.
App downloads through websites don't need to go through app review. The developers have some requirements that restrict it to profit-making developers though, see my other comment.
It’s a less stringent review process than the App Store, but apps distributed outside of it will have to be “notarized”: https://www.macrumors.com/2024/01/25/alternative-app-store-notarization-process/.
Ah. Your comment sounded like it was way more than just checking if it works, though.
I disagree - it's definitely a win.
There's still more work to be done (you shouldn't need to first deploy an app with a million downloads on the Apple App Store in order to deploy outside of it for example...) but I expect the EU will force them to change that rule.
It will be interesting to see where they land on the Core Technology Fee. At face value it seems pretty clearly anti-competitive to make developers pay more if you don't use an Apple service. But at the same time, the government can't force Apple to give things away for free.
I expect a middle ground will be reached with much lower prices and hopefully a per-app price (e.g. pay once to have your app go through an anti-malware scanning service) rather than a per-user price. Or even better, in my opinion, is to make users pay a fee to have their device scanned for malware by Apple. A cost that could be built into the price of the hardware.
Don't look at the original article's comments. So much walled garden shills in there.
The "good standing" rule is the most problematic one - but I don't see it lasting.
Keep in mind just last week Apple described Epic Games as "verifiably untrustworthy"... only to immediately backflip and decide to trust Epic. I can see the same thing happening here.
Two continuous years and a million existing customers is way too high a bar. It's literally impossible for any new developer to meet that criteria unless they first spend years deploying apps inside Apple's walled garden and the entire point of the DMA is to get rid of that wall.
So not really a win at all, since they would still be in control of what you're able to download and where you're able to download it.
I just hope a developer has a sketchy domain like notavirus.zip
I know it won't happen but sometimes I amuse myself by imagining America having its own Euromaiden revolution just so corporations will stop making their products worse so they'll be more profitable
Fucking finally!
I mean, I’m still going to get almost everything from the App Store, but it’s nice to have the option for the few niche things.
Don’t laugh too early.. It is as flawed as App-Marketplaces
Babe wake up new attack vector opens as mandated by law
Okay Tim Cook
I think his name's Tim Apple.
Oh shit, you're right.
Ah yes, having the freedom to do as you wish is an "attack vector".
The app store itself is no stranger to rogue apps.
Read the requirements
That would require they do something other than partially read the headline
Don't give them internet if they can't use internet.