Apple could soon allow users to download third-party app stores on iPhone, but there is a catch

Apple is reportedly planning to make monumental changes to App Store. As per a new report, Apple engineers and employees are working on devising a way that would allow iPhone and iPad users to download ‘alternative app stores’ on their devices.

These sweeping changes come as Apple’s response to European Union’s Digital Markets Act or DMA, which according to a press release by the European Commission will put an “end to unfair practices by companies that act as gatekeepers in the online platform economy.”

The Digital Markets Act will enable the European Commission to be able to impose penalties and fines of up to 10 percent of a company’s worldwide turnover, and up to 20 percent in case of repeated infringements when a gatekeeper company engages in practices, such as favoring their own services, preventing business users of their services from reaching consumers, imposing unfair access conditions to their app store and preventing installation of applications from other sources. The European Commission says that such practices prevent competition, which leads to less innovation, lower quality and higher prices.

Gatekeeper companies such as Apple or Google have until March 6, 2024, to comply with the law. This means that Apple has until March 2024 to make changes to App Store and the associated policies in order to make its entire system more open as per DMA.

Now, Bloomberg says that software engineering and services employees at Apple are actively working on opening up key elements of Apple’s platforms that could ultimately allow iPhone and iPad users to download third-party software on their Apple devices without using the company’s App Store, and in the process sidestepping Apple’s restrictions.

Apple so far hasn’t allowed downloading third-party apps on its devices as they could lead to users downloading unsafe apps or even malware. In a bid to protect users against unsafe apps, the company is mulling the idea of mandating certain security requirements even if software is not distributed via its App Store. “Such apps also may need to be verified by Apple — a process that could carry a fee. Within the App Store, Apple takes a 15% to 30% cut of revenue,” the report says.

DMA also requires companies to offer interoperability between similar apps. This would require Apple to make iMessage interoperable with Google’s Messages app. The report says that Apple hasn’t made a decision regarding this yet.

Furthermore, the company is also discussing ways to open up its Find My network to accessories such as Tile, that compete with the AirTag.

The entire effort is being led by Andreas Wendker, the company’s software engineering VP who reports to Craig Federighi, and Jeff Robbin, the company’s engineering manager for its services who reports to Eddy Cue.

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