Yesterday, Apple announced that starting from March, there will be changes to its operating system, iOS, its browser, Safari, and its application store, the App Store, in European Union countries. This move is in compliance with the new Digital Markets Act, which will come into effect in the same month.
After the release of version 17.4 of the iOS operating system on iPhone and iPad devices, developers will have the ability to provide alternative app stores that Apple will verify. Apple’s payment solutions will no longer be the exclusive options. When users browse Safari for the first time, they will have the option to choose a browser from a list that includes competitive search engines. These changes coincide with the introduction of new pricing structures for developers.
According to Apple’s Vice President of Marketing, Phil Schiller, “The changes we are announcing today align with the Digital Markets Act for the European Union, contributing to the protection of European users from increasing risks to privacy and safety.”
Apple, along with five other digital giants – Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Meta (Facebook), Microsoft, and the Chinese company ByteDance, the owner of TikTok – will be subject to the new Digital Markets Act starting from March 7th. This act introduces stricter rules to curb anti-competitive practices within the European Union.
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