Apple has long touted the review process in its App Store as the best way for iPhone users to ensure that hackers or snoopers do not smuggle malicious code onto the devices.
Apple will allow iPhone and iPad users in the European Union to delete the App Store or Safari browser, the tech giant told developers on Thursday.
Apple had long vehemently defended the App Store as the only gateway for digital content on its popular mobile devices. The change comes as the company loosens its access to devices in the EU due to the bloc’s groundbreaking new digital rules.
“The App Store, Messages, Camera, Photos, and Safari apps may be removed by users in the EU,” Apple said on a developer support page.
“Only settings and phone cannot be deleted.”
It also adds a special section where iPhone or iPad users can manage default settings for browsers, messages, phone calls and other features, according to Apple.
“Because browser engines are constantly exposed to untrusted and potentially malicious content and have visibility into sensitive user data, they are one of the most common attack vectors for malicious actors,” the iPhone maker said.
“To ensure users’ online safety, Apple will allow developers to implement alternative browser engines only if they meet certain criteria and commit to adhering to a set of ongoing privacy and security requirements, including timely security updates to address emerging threats and vulnerabilities.”
Until now, app developers in the App Store had to use Apple’s payment system, with the technology giant receiving a share of the transactions.
However, the EU said the conditions prevented app developers from freely alerting consumers to alternative payment methods, making Apple the first technology company ever to face allegations of violating a new law called the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Apple promised changes last month to comply with the DMA and take into account findings by the European Commission, the EU’s powerful antitrust regulator.
Starting this fall, Apple says developers in the EU will be able to “communicate and promote purchase offers” wherever they want, for example via an alternative app marketplace.
The change includes a new fee structure for customers who access offers and content from an app.
The Commission told AFP it would “evaluate any changes by Apple to its compliance measures, taking into account any feedback from the market, in particular from developers.”
The DMA gives big tech companies a list of what they can and can’t do to increase competition in the digital space. For example, they must provide choice screens for web browsers and search engines to give users more options.
The law gives the EU the power to impose heavy fines.
Apple is not the only company affected by the DMA. Google parent company Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft and TikTok owner ByteDance must also comply.
The online travel giant Booking.com must do this later this year and the Commission is also examining whether tech billionaire Elon Musk’s X must also comply with the rules.
© 2024 AFP
Quote: Apple allows iPhone users in Europe to delete its App Store (August 23, 2024), retrieved August 23, 2024 from https://techxplore.com/news/2024-08-apple-iphone-users-europe-delete.html
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