Apple turns on web distribution for iOS apps, allowing EU users to download applications directly from developer websites.
Apple forced to allow competing app stores on iPhones in EU | BBC News
The update only applies to users in the European Union (EU), and when you upgrade to iOS 17.5 beta 2, it opens up APIs "that facilitate the deployment of developer apps from the web, integrate with system functions, back up and restore user apps, and more."
Apple decided it would allow developers to distribute apps directly from its websites in March this year – not out of the goodness of its heart, but in the hope of appeasing European regulators, who designated Apple as a gatekeeper under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). ) relative to iOS, the App Store and Safari. The DMA requires Apple to offer an alternative to the iPhone's App Store as well as for developers to opt out of using its in-app payment system, from which Apple takes a hefty 30 percent cut from those who generate over $1 million in revenue per year.
The move for web distribution is a significant change for Apple, which would prefer users not to stray from the walled garden of the app store. But it's also not a head-first dive into the sideloading freewheel world; there are restrictions and Apple will still expect a fee.
