Today, Apple announced that people in the EU will soon have a new way to download iPhone apps. Beginning this spring, Cupertino will let developers sell their iOS apps directly to people in the EU from a website that the developer owns.
As part of the Digital Markets Act, which gave EU users more app stores to choose from, Apple plans to give buyers another way to download iPhone apps. In its Developer blog, Apple said the following:
“Web Distribution, available with a software update later this spring, will let authorized developers distribute their iOS apps to EU users directly from a website owned by the developer. Apple will provide authorized developers access to APIs that facilitate the distribution of their apps from the web, integrate with system functionality, back up and restore users’ apps, and more. “
For makers, this means they need to agree to the Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU. This could come with a software update for iOS 17.5.
If developers agree to this change, they are no longer bound by the current App Store rules. However, some problems come with picking this “freedom” when advertising their apps.
So, for these makers, the freedom to let people in the EU download their iPhone apps means the following:
Another type of app store: Some app stores may only sell apps that were made by the company that runs the store.
Putting a link to buy: While developers are sending people to an outside website to buy digital goods or services, they can decide how to set up deals, discounts, and sales. You no longer have to use the Apple-provided design templates, which are best for key buy and promotional use cases.
That being said, soon, EU users will be able to download iPhone apps in the same way that everyone else can do on a Mac. Even though there is a Mac App Store, you can still get the software from the developer’s website.
BGR will let you know when Apple changes how apps are sent to people in the EU.
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