Seventeen years after its debut, iPhone is finally starting to allow installations from outside the App Store. Apple reportedly has an iOS 17 update ready to enable a feature that will make it possible to install iPhone apps from any source. These App Store changes will allow third-party app stores to appear on iPhone. Developers will also be able to choose between third-party payment platforms that may charge lower fees than Apple's payment system.
Before you get too excited about being able to upload to your iOS (and iPadOS) devices, it's important to remember the "big caveat". Apple is only doing this because of regulatory pressures. The European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) is forcing Apple to open the App Store to competitors. Apple has until 7 March to comply with this decision. An Apple employee says that in the process of enabling external download, Apple will split the App Store into two experiences.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also mentioned external install support in the questions section of the Power On newsletter. Gurman said that in the coming weeks, Apple will roll out changes to iOS 17 that enable external installs in Europe. In the meantime, the App Store will be split into two versions, one for European Union countries and one for the rest of the world. In this case, external installation will not be available to users in Turkey.
It is not yet clear how the external installation process will work on iPhone. However, it is speculated that after the deadline for DMA compatibility, any developer may offer third-party app stores or allow users to download apps from their websites. They will also be able to offer customers alternative payment systems for apps and in-app purchases.
Nevertheless, it is worth noting that Apple's commission will not disappear completely. That is, developers will still have to pay Apple a percentage of sales. Therefore, subscription and app prices are not expected to drop significantly in Europe. Developers will still have to bear the costs of offering and/or securing third-party payment options for customers.
While this all remains just speculation for now, we won't have to wait too long for the iPhone to allow external downloads. Apple has objected to being forced to comply with the DMA in the EU by 7 March, but as Margrethe Vestager, the EU's antitrust chief, noted during her visit to the US last week, Apple needs to implement the changes before any legal issues in the region are resolved.
It should be noted that the EU is not the only region to introduce this obligation. Japan and the USA are also planning to enact similar legislation. This may mean that the possibility of uploading from outside may spread to the whole world after a certain period of time.
