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Apple will now allow users to install apps from websites, not just the App Store, but there's twist
Apple stated in March that upgrades to its mobile platform would include a web distribution entitlement in order to comply with the bloc's Digital Markets Act.
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Authorized app developers will be able to distribute their apps via the web to iPhone users
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It is for developers who opt in and who meet Apple’s criteria and app notarization requirements
Starting on Tuesday, Apple will begin to distribute iOS apps over the web to users in the European Union. Developers may sell iPhone apps for direct download to EU users directly from their websites if they choose to participate and meet Apple's standards, which include notarizing the app.
This is a significant shift for a mobile ecosystem that would not allow "sideloading." Due to its walled garden policy, Apple has historically been able to channel almost all income from iOS developers through its App Store. However, that buffer is being destroyed in the EU as a result of new rules that the App Store must abide by, which the manufacturer of the iPhone has been required to do since the beginning of this month.
Apple declared in March that, as part of modifications intended to comply with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a web distribution entitlement would soon be arriving on its mobile platform. Legislators think that by imposing requirements on in-scope tech firms, the pan-EU policy will both safeguard consumers from Big Tech's exertion of power and level the playing field for platform business users.
How to install an app from the developers' website on an iPhone
An iPhone running iOS 17.5 Beta 2 is required for the user to download iOS apps via the web. Tapping the "Download" (or "Install") button on a website will prompt the user to allow app downloads from their iPhone settings if it's their first time downloading from a developer.
By permitting the external installation, you allow the developer access to your data and accept their terms and conditions. If you proceed, the iPhone will download the external app by scanning your face ID.
A screen informing users that "updates and purchases in this app will be managed by the developer" is part of the follow-up flow design that Apple unveiled during the briefing. It also includes a suggestion for users to "verify the information below before installing," which is displayed above a card that includes some basic app information and screenshots along with a link to view "more" information.
Considering that Apple has only recently begun to distribute iOS apps online, it is unclear if the EU will intervene to examine this part of Apple's DMA compliance in further detail. Developers can now reach customers in the EU through a third channel as well: by submitting a marketplace app to Apple, they can ask to sell their software through a platform-hosted alternative store they own.
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