Home » Apple reportedly to allow third-party app stores on the iPhone

Apple reportedly to allow third-party app stores on the iPhone

Written By Val Jose Mendoza
Published • December 15th, 2022
MobileMobile AppsNews
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Apple reportedly has plans to allow third-party app stores on iOS and the iPhone according to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg.

The plans would be a massive shift as Apple since the conception of the iPhone has never allowed any third-party app store on its devices.

Apple App Store Awards 2022 Trophy Inline.jpg.large

The reason behind this is said to be mainly due to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) that outlines “rules for digital gatekeepers to ensure open markets enter into force”.

This would mean that Apple would not only have to allow third-party app stores but also sideloading or the act of installing software from the internet as well.

The EU also specified that companies will need to comply with the act by March 6, 2024.

New story: Apple is preparing to allow alternative app stores and side-loading on iOS — along with a slew of other changes to make the iPhone more open — in response to new European Union requirements arriving in 2024. https://t.co/hZpXrKdHGj

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) December 13, 2022

The shift to allowing third-party apps is also said to be held in only 27 countries that are part of the EU but with Gurman noting that it could lay the groundwork for other regions.

He also clarified that Apple would still in fact charge developers for access to iOS even with side loading.

Furthermore, Gurman stated that changes would also come to NFC chip and camera access, Find My network for rivals to the AirTag, web browsing engines, and other areas of Apple’s software.

App Store Removes Outdated Apps

Apple’s biggest competitor to iOS, Android, is no stranger to this despite having the Google Play Store as the most common app store on Android.

There are also other app stores such as the Huawei AppGallery, Samsung Galaxy Apps, and Amazon Appstore

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Val Jose Mendoza

Hi! I'm VJ Mendoza! Although I just finished my Bachelor's in Nursing, I've always loved tech and to just to get an idea of me, some things I like are anime, video games, sports such as basketball, volleyball and fencing.