DMA: Apple will allow Europeans to install their iPhone applications from the Web

It is confirmed by Apple, the American giant will soon authorize the downloading of iOS applications directly from websites. This will obviously concern Europe (and will remain subject to some strict rules).

Willy-nilly, Apple continues to comply with the new European legislation (the DMA). The recent iOS 17.4 update thus constitutes a form of turning point in Apple’s history, with various (more or less) important changes for developers and users alike.

Apps from a website coming soon to iOS

Today, through its website dedicated to developers, Apple has published some new features coming to the old continent. The American giant has thus promised more flexibility for developers who distribute their applications in the European Union.

Apple particularly mentions the launch “ a new way to distribute applications, directly from a developer’s website. »

Quite a few criteria for developers to respect

Apple thus confirms that the “ Web Distribution » will be available with a software update during the spring. As its name suggests, this will allow (authorized) developers to distribute their iOS applications to EU users directly from a website. A principle similar to what is already offered on Android, with the installation files .apk.

In order to guarantee a certain security to users, Apple specifies that the applications in question can only be installed from a website domain that the developer has registered upstream in App Store Connect.

Developers will also have to agree to various conditions, starting with being an official EU-domiciled organization enrolled in the program Apple Developer. Note that developers must also have been members of the program for at least two years, and already have an application with more than one million annual installations.

The developer must also agree to only offer applications from its developer account, to respond to communications from Apple, to publish transparent data collection policies or, even, to assume responsibility for the processing of government requests.

On the user side, the handling will be simpler, since it will be enough to approve the developer (in the iOS settings) to allow this “ sideloading “.

Source : The Verge