iOS 17.4 will allow sideloading & third party app stores in EU – Epic Game Store incoming
Apple has announced that iOS and iPadOS 17.4 will introduce support for developer app sideloading and third party app stores in the EU, complying with the incoming Digital Markets Act (DMA). But there’s an awful lot of caveats to this, with the iPhone maker determined to keep as much control and make this as awkward, fussy, and costly as possible.
Epic has already confirmed that the Epic Game Store will arrive to distribute Fortnite, and AltStore is exploring if they can possibly launch as well.
When iOS 17.4 is released in March 2024, users in the EU will have access to new “alternative app marketplaces”. You’ll be able to download an approved marketplace from that company’s website and explicitly give it permission to download apps to your device. After that point you can make further downloads through those app stores, they will be in charge of providing updates and conducting app reviews, and you can even set a non-Apple store to be the default. They’re also allowing third party payment processing. All apps will still be approved by Apple in a way through a notarisation process similar to Gatekeeper on MacOS.
From the user perspective, that kind of sounds perfect, doesn’t it? Well, from a developer and app seller perspective this could be a massive pain.
A big part of the change is a new fee structure that Apple is putting in place for the EU. Instead of a flat 30% or 15% (for small business developers) cut, Apple will take a 17% or 10% cut respectively, regardless of whether an app came through the Apple App Store or another marketplace. Developers will optionally be able to use Apple’s payment systems for a further 3% on top of that. However, there will be an additional €0.50 Core Technology Fee for every first install of an app, per user, per year after the first 1 million installs.
Apple states that this will lead to developers making more money across the board, but the per-install fee means that there could be a massive upfront costit to a breakout app or
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