Apple will allow third-party app stores on iPhone

Apple’s Appstore is an excellent example of a so-called walled garden. As an independent software developer, it is difficult to enter the Apple ecosystem without paying a high percentage. In a sensational move, Apple now decides to allow other web stores on iPhones as well.

Revenue model app stores increasingly under fire

App stores are an important source of income for the tech giants Apple and Google. Companies like Apple earn about 30% on every app and service sold within these app stores.

This revenue model is a source of irritation. Not only for companies, which see themselves deprived of much of their income in this way, but also for organizations such as the European Union and governments who consider this a form of unfair competition.

South Korea was the first country to clamp down on these practices with a new law that forced Apple and Google to stop forcing app makers to route all payments through the App Store and Google Play, respectively.

Apple therefore naturally felt the storm coming and decided to be ahead of critics such as the European Union in order to be able to steer developments itself.

What will change at Apple?

Observers expect Apple to implement these changes for the new operating system for iPhones, iOS 17, which will be released in 2023. Depending on what exactly the legislation of the European Union will look like, these requirements may also apply to existing iPhones that still work with an older operating system.

Apple will then have to release an update for these iPhones, which will still make it possible for third-party app stores to be installed on the Apple devices.

Although not everyone is equally fond of the European Union’s penchant for regulation, the bloc appears to be able to play a pioneering role in promoting open standards.