According to Bloomberg, Apple is planning to enable alternate app stores on iPhones and iPads ahead of European legislation that will require the company to support sideloading. Although, Apple has not decided whether to comply with other provisions of the law, such as allowing for alternative payment systems to its own.
According to Bloomberg, Apple is devoting a “significant amount of resources to the companywide endeavor,” avoiding Apple’s app restrictions and the up to 30% commission it charges on App Store purchases.
The move, a modification of long-standing Apple policy, is in response to the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which establishes broad new internet rules aimed at fostering fair and open competition in the digital realm. Large technology companies that fail to comply with the new rules could face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue, which could amount to billions of dollars.
This is being described as a “major push to open up key elements of Apple’s platforms” by “people familiar with the efforts” who spoke to Bloomberg. Customers could eventually download third-party software to their iPhones and iPads without using the company’s App Store, according to the report.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.