For developers, the changes include new options for app
distribution and payment processing
For users, the changes include new controls and disclosures, and
expanded protections to reduce privacy and security risks the DMA
creates
Apple® today announced changes to iOS, Safari®, and the App
Store® impacting developers’ apps in the European Union (EU) to
comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The changes include more
than 600 new APIs, expanded app analytics, functionality for
alternative browser engines, and options for processing app
payments and distributing iOS apps. Across every change, Apple is
introducing new safeguards that reduce — but don’t eliminate — new
risks the DMA poses to EU users. With these steps, Apple will
continue to deliver the best, most secure experience possible for
EU users.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240125068597/en/
(Graphic: Business Wire)
The new options for processing payments and downloading apps on
iOS open new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, illicit and
harmful content, and other privacy and security threats. That’s why
Apple is introducing protections — including Notarization for iOS
apps, an authorization for marketplace developers, and disclosures
on alternative payments — to reduce risks and deliver the best,
most secure experience possible for users in the EU. Even with
these safeguards in place, many risks remain.
Developers can learn about these changes on the Apple Developer
Support page and can begin testing new capabilities today in the
iOS 17.4 beta. The new capabilities will become available to users
in the 27 EU countries beginning in March 2024.
“The changes we’re announcing today comply with the Digital
Markets Act’s requirements in the European Union, while helping to
protect EU users from the unavoidable increased privacy and
security threats this regulation brings. Our priority remains
creating the best, most secure possible experience for our users in
the EU and around the world,” said Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow.
“Developers can now learn about the new tools and terms available
for alternative app distribution and alternative payment
processing, new capabilities for alternative browser engines and
contactless payments, and more. Importantly, developers can choose
to remain on the same business terms in place today if they
prefer.”
The changes for EU apps reflect the European Commission’s
designation of iOS, Safari, and the App Store as “core platform
services” under the Digital Markets Act. In March, Apple will share
new resources to help EU users understand the changes they can
expect. That includes guidance to help EU users navigate
complexities the DMA’s changes bring — including a less intuitive
user experience — and best practices for approaching new risks
associated with downloading apps and processing payments outside of
the App Store.
Available for developers’ apps around the world, Apple also
announced new options for streaming games, along with more than 50
forthcoming reports in areas like engagement, commerce, app usage,
and more.
Changes to iOS
In the EU, Apple is making a number of changes to iOS to comply
with the DMA. For developers, those changes include new options for
distributing apps. The coming changes to iOS in the EU include:
- New options for distributing iOS apps from alternative app
marketplaces — including new APIs and tools that enable
developers to offer their iOS apps for download from alternative
app marketplaces.
- New framework and APIs for creating alternative app
marketplaces — enabling marketplace developers to install apps
and manage updates on behalf of other developers from their
dedicated marketplace app.
- New frameworks and APIs for alternative browser engines
— enabling developers to use browser engines, other than WebKit,
for browser apps and apps with in-app browsing experiences.
- Interoperability request form — where developers can
submit additional requests for interoperability with iPhone® and
iOS hardware and software features.
As announced by the European Commission, Apple is also sharing
DMA-compliant changes impacting contactless payments. That includes
new APIs enabling developers to use NFC technology in their banking
and wallet apps throughout the European Economic Area. And in the
EU, Apple is introducing new controls that allow users to select a
third-party contactless payment app — or an alternative app
marketplace — as their default.
Inevitably, the new options for developers’ EU apps create new
risks to Apple users and their devices. Apple can’t eliminate those
risks, but within the DMA’s constraints, the company will take
steps to reduce them. These safeguards will be in place when users
download iOS 17.4 or later, beginning in March, and include:
- Notarization for iOS apps — a baseline review that
applies to all apps, regardless of their distribution channel,
focused on platform integrity and protecting users. Notarization
involves a combination of automated checks and human review.
- App installation sheets — that use information from the
Notarization process to provide at-a-glance descriptions of apps
and their functionality before download, including the developer,
screenshots, and other essential information.
- Authorization for marketplace developers — to ensure
marketplace developers commit to ongoing requirements that help
protect users and developers.
- Additional malware protections — that prevent iOS apps
from launching if they’re found to contain malware after being
installed to a user’s device.
These protections — including Notarization for iOS apps, and
authorization for marketplace developers — help reduce some of the
privacy and security risks to iOS users in the EU. That includes
threats like malware or malicious code, and risks of installing
apps that misrepresent their functionality or the responsible
developer.
However, Apple has less ability to address other risks —
including apps that contain scams, fraud, and abuse, or that expose
users to illicit, objectionable, or harmful content. In addition,
apps that use alternative browser engines — other than Apple’s
WebKit — may negatively affect the user experience, including
impacts to system performance and battery life.
Within the DMA’s constraints, Apple is committed to protecting
the privacy, security, and quality of the iOS user experience in
the EU as much as possible. For instance, App Tracking Transparency
will continue to work with apps distributed outside of the App
Store — asking a user’s permission before a developer tracks their
data across apps or websites. However, the DMA’s requirements mean
that App Store features — including Family Purchase Sharing and Ask
to Buy — will not be compatible with apps downloaded from outside
of the App Store.
When these changes come into effect in March, Apple will share
more detailed resources explaining the options available to users —
including best practices for protecting their privacy and
security.
Changes to Safari
Today, iOS users already have the ability to set a third-party
web browser — other than Safari — as their default. Reflecting the
DMA’s requirements, Apple is also introducing a new choice screen
that will surface when users first open Safari in iOS 17.4 or
later. That screen will prompt EU users to choose a default browser
from a list of options.
This change is a result of the DMA’s requirements, and means
that EU users will be confronted with a list of default browsers
before they have the opportunity to understand the options
available to them. The screen also interrupts EU users’ experience
the first time they open Safari intending to navigate to a
webpage.
Changes to the App Store
On the App Store, Apple is sharing a number of changes for
developers with apps in the EU, affecting apps across Apple’s
operating systems — including iOS, iPadOS®, macOS®, watchOS®, and
tvOS®. The changes also include new disclosures informing EU users
of the risks associated with using alternatives to the App Store’s
secure payment processing.
For developers, those changes include:
- New options for using payment service providers (PSPs) —
within a developer’s app to process payments for digital goods and
services.
- New options for processing payments via link-out — where
users can complete a transaction for digital goods and services on
the developer’s external website. Developers can also inform EU
users of promotions, discounts, and other deals available outside
of their apps.
- Business planning tools — for developers to estimate
fees and understand metrics associated with Apple’s new business
terms for apps in the EU.
The changes also include new steps to protect and inform EU
users, including:
- App Store product page labels — that inform users when
an app they’re downloading uses alternative payment
processing.
- In-app disclosure sheets — that let users know when they
are no longer transacting with Apple, and when a developer is
directing them to transact using an alternative payment
processor.
- New App Review processes — to verify that
developers accurately communicate information about transactions
that use alternative payment processors.
- Expanded data portability on Apple’s Data & Privacy
site— where EU users can retrieve new data about their usage of
the App Store and export it to an authorized third party.
For apps that use alternative payment processing, Apple will not
be able to issue refunds, and will have less ability to support
customers encountering issues, scams, or fraud. Helpful App Store
features — like Report a Problem, Family Sharing, and Ask to Buy —
will also not reflect these transactions. Users may have to share
their payment information with additional parties, creating more
opportunities for bad actors to steal sensitive financial
information. And on the App Store, users’ purchase history and
subscription management will only reflect transactions made using
the App Store’s In-App Purchase system.
New Business Terms for Apps in the EU
Also today, Apple is sharing new business terms available for
developers’ apps in the European Union. Developers can choose to
adopt these new business terms, or stay on Apple’s existing terms.
Developers must adopt the new business terms for EU apps to use the
new capabilities for alternative distribution or alternative
payment processing.
Developers operating under either set of business terms can
continue to use the App Store’s secure payment processing and share
their apps on the App Store in the EU. And both sets of business
terms reflect Apple’s long-standing work to make the app ecosystem
the best opportunity for all developers.
The new business terms for apps in the EU are necessary to
support the DMA’s requirements for alternative distribution and
payment processing. That includes a fee structure that reflects the
many ways Apple creates value for developers’ businesses —
including distribution and discovery on the App Store, the App
Store’s secure payment processing, Apple’s trusted and secure
mobile platform, and all the tools and technology to build and
share innovative apps with users around the world.
Developers operating under the new business terms will have the
option to distribute their iOS apps from the App Store and/or
alternative app marketplaces. These developers can also choose to
use alternative payment processors in their EU apps on the App
Store, across Apple’s operating systems.
The new business terms for iOS apps in the EU have three
elements:
- Reduced commission — iOS apps on the App Store will pay
a reduced commission of either 10 percent (for the vast majority of
developers and subscriptions following their first year) or 17
percent on transactions for digital goods and services.
- Payment processing fee — iOS apps on the App Store can
use the App Store’s payment processing for an additional 3 percent
fee. Developers can use a payment service provider within their app
or link users to their website to process payments for no
additional fee to Apple.
- Core Technology Fee — iOS apps distributed from the App
Store and/or an alternative app marketplace will pay €0.50 for each
first annual install per year over a 1 million threshold.
Under the new business terms for EU apps,
Apple estimates that:
More than 99 percent of developers
would reduce or maintain the fees they owe to Apple.
Less than 1 percent of developers would
pay a Core Technology Fee on their EU apps.
For apps on iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS in the EU,
developers who process payments using a PSP or by linking out to
their website will get a 3 percent discount on the commission they
owe to Apple.
Apple is also sharing a fee calculator tool and new reports to
help developers estimate the potential impact of the new business
terms on their app businesses. Developers can learn more about the
changes for EU apps on a new Apple Developer Support page and can
begin testing these capabilities today in the iOS 17.4 beta.
Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction
of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in
innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.
Apple’s five software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and
tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and
empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store,
Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000
employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and
to leaving the world better than we found it.
NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple Newsroom
(www.apple.com/newsroom), or email Apple’s Media Helpline at
media.help@apple.com.
© 2024 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo,
Safari, App Store, iPhone, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS are
trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be
trademarks of their respective owners.
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