To respond to the indications provided by the Digital Markets Act of the European Union, Apple is making new changes to the App Store, its app store.
The giant, unlike what has happened so far, will allow developers to publish their iPhone applications on their own websites, so as to give customers an alternative.
This is a historic move, the first time that the Cupertino giant opens the process of offering software outside the App Store in this way.
To do so, Apple will maintain a high level of security, for example by requiring that websites with app links have first been registered on the App Store Connect portal and that individual applications meet privacy and data protection requirements.
Furthermore, to install apps from the developer's website, users will first have to approve it in their iPhone's settings menu and, as far as possible, review the certifications obtained.
Apple will only allow those enrolled in the Apple Developer Program to make an app available externally, and only to developers or companies that have at least one application with over 1 million first installs on iOS in the European Union in the previous calendar year.
According to some portals, such as The Verge, this last point limits the opportunities for smaller companies, which do not obtain numbers equal to established and famous developers.
“Distributing apps directly from a website requires ongoing responsibility and oversight, including the ability to manage downloads and provide support and refunds,” Apple explains.
Developers who bypass the App Store will also have to pay Apple a fee of 50 euro cents for each first annual installation of more than one million users in the last 12 months.
A measure which for the Cupertino company "reflects the value that Apple provides to developers through continuous investments in the tools, technologies and services that allow them to build and share innovative apps with users around the world".
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