Do alternative app stores undermine security in iPhones 

Apple is allowing alternative app stores on iPhones to comply with EU regulations, impacting developers, users, and security.

After nearly 17 years of unchallenged dominance Apple in app marketplace, the company is making way for alternative app stores on its devices. The shift, currently limited to the EU market, will let users download apps from other stores that alongside Apple’s App Store. Behind the iPhone-maker’s move is the EU regulator’s stick that can fine non-compliant companies 10% of their global annual turnover.

The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into force on March 7, sets out obligations and prohibitions for Big Tech firms like Apple, Alphabet, Bytedance, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft. The Act provides penal provisions and aims to break the domination of tech giants that play the role of ‘gatekeepers’. It puts an end to the unfair practices that restrain growth of new and alternative platforms.

Apple, over the years, has stood its ground when it came to controlling users’ experience by limiting where they could download apps. But developers, mostly large ones like Spotify and Epic Games, have criticised Apple over its tight control and high commissions. So, allowing rival marketplaces on iPhones is a big change for a company that has long cherished its walled-garden ecosystem.

Apple’s iPhones come pre-installed with App Store and it is the only place for iOS users to get their applications. The company charges up to 30% commission on all App Store transactions, a lucrative source of revenue for the company.

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Alternative app stores , on the other hand, allow developers to sidestep commissions by enabling them to reach prospective users through alternate means. Sideloading, a feature that allows users to download apps from outside the marketplace, allows developers to provide alternative payment methods that will lower the cost of selling apps.

With thousands of apps being added to app stores every month, alternative stores provide improved visibility for smaller developers. They can even reduce the cost of development and other associated costs like marketing a new app and complying with stringent rules laid down by OEMs.