Apple allows EU users to download apps from websites in iOS 17.5 beta
iOS 17.5 beta 2 was released on April 16, 2024, and it was revealed that app developers who comply with the requirements can now distribute apps directly from their websites. Apple has been reviewing the conditions for iOS app distribution to comply with the EU Digital Market Act (DMA), but until now, distribution was only permitted by operating its own app store.
Distributing your app from your website | Apple Developer Documentation
Apple will now let users in the EU download apps through web sites, not just the App Store | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/16/apple-web-distribution-ios/
iOS 17.5 beta 2 coming today with new Web Distribution sideloading feature in the EU - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2024/04/16/ios-17-5-beta-2-web-distribution/
Apple has previously not permitted the distribution of apps from any store other than its own app store, but following the implementation of the DMA, which regulates technology companies, in the EU, it has indicated that it will partially permit such distribution.
However, the terms that Apple initially presented were full of restrictions, requiring that distribution of apps be limited to alternative app stores approved by Apple, and furthermore, Apple continued to charge a commission from alternative app stores, as it had done up until now, which drew backlash from many app developers.
Apple later reversed course and said it would create a mechanism for developers to distribute apps from their websites.
Apple announces 'a mechanism to install iPhone apps directly from websites,' but of course only in the EU - GIGAZINE
On April 16, 2024, iOS 17.5 beta 2 was released, allowing developers to use the mechanism for app distribution. This will make the third app distribution method available in the EU, after the App Store and alternative app stores.
Developers must meet a number of requirements to distribute their apps independently, including being required to enroll in the Apple Developer Program in the EU, maintaining good standing in the program for at least two consecutive years, and having an app that has had more than one million installs in the EU in the previous year.
In addition, developers must pay a fee to Apple. The price is 0.5 euros (about 80 yen) per install if the app has been installed more than 1 million times in the past 12 months. For example, if the app has been downloaded 1.5 million times, the developer must pay a fee for 500,000 installs minus 1 million. Apple's officialcalculation tool allows you to perform detailed calculations including various fees.
This fee, called the 'Core Technology Fee (CTF),' can be nearly 100 times higher than the fee developers would pay if they were to distribute their apps through the App Store as usual, and developers have pointed out that it effectively forces developers to use the App Store, since developers would not choose a distribution method with a CTF unless there was a significant benefit to it. Major technology companies have also become aware of Apple's measures, and Meta, Microsoft, Spotify, and others have issued statements condemning them.
Microsoft and Meta are lobbying to ease Apple's strict conditions on 'establishing app stores outside the App Store' - GIGAZINE
The requirements for iOS 17.5 beta 2 stipulate that the first time a user downloads an app from a developer's website, they must go through a three-step installation process, including authenticating with Face ID. The multiple steps are only required the first time, and there will be fewer download steps after that when the user gets an app from a developer they have approved.
While Apple claims the process is a 'reasonable security measure and is permitted by the DMA,' critics of Apple's approach claim it is 'intended to scare users, induce friction, and discourage them from downloading apps from sources other than the App Store,' and that it is not a healthy authorization process.
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