Apple Adds Some Conditions For Using Alternative App Stores on iOS

Apple released iOS 17.4 yesterday, and with it came significant changes for iPhone users in the European Union. Indeed, iOS users in the EU are now allowed to install alternative app stores and web browsers that use other engines than Apple’s WebKit. However, these changes come with some asterisks.

In a support document about alternative app marketplaces in the EU, Apple explained that “device eligibility for alternative app marketplaces is determined using on-device processing with only an indicator of eligibility sent to Apple.” In practice, iOS users in the EU who want to install alternative marketplaces will need to set the country or region of their Apple ID to an eligible country or region. Moreover, they will also need to be physically located in supported EU countries.

In the case iOS users in the EU leave eligible regions, Apple will offer a “grace period” until apps downloaded from alternative app stores can no longer be updated. “If you’re gone for too long, you’ll lose access to some features, including installing new alternative app marketplaces. Apps you installed from alternative app marketplaces will continue to function, but they can’t be updated by the marketplace you downloaded it from,” the company explained.

As expected, Apple is still trying to keep as much control as possible on iOS users in the EU. All apps that will be offered on alternative app stores will also need to go through a “notarization” process to ensure that they don’t pose privacy or security risks.

Epic Games was the first company to announce that it was working on an alternative app store for iOS users in the EU. The iOS version of the Epic Games Store will be available later this year, and it will be the only place where iOS users in the EU can download Fortnite after Apple pulled it from its App Store a couple of years ago.

It will be interesting to see if other organizations will launch alternative iOS app stores in the EU. Microsoft is said to be working on an Xbox mobile store for iOS and Android users, but Xbox President Sarah Bond recently said publicly that “Apple’s new policy is a step in the wrong direction.”