Apple allows EU users to download apps from websites in iOS 17.5 beta

https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appdistribution/distributing-your-app-from-your-website

Apple now allows users in the EU to download apps through websites, not just the App Store | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/16/apple-web-distribution-ios/

iOS 17.5 Beta 2 releases today with the new Web Distribution Sideloading feature in the EU – 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2024/04/16/ios-17-5-beta-2-web-distribution/

Previously, Apple has not allowed the distribution of apps from stores other than its own App Store, but following the introduction of the DMA, which regulates technology companies in the EU, it indicated that it will partially allow such distribution.

However, the terms Apple originally presented were full of restrictions and required that app distribution be limited to Apple-approved alternative app stores. In addition, Apple continued to charge a commission from alternative app stores, as was previously the case. which caused backlash from many app developers.

Apple later changed course and said it would create a mechanism for developers to distribute apps through their websites.

Apple announces “a mechanism to install iPhone apps directly from websites,” but of course only in the EU – GIGAZINE

On April 16, 2024, iOS 17.5 Beta 2 was released, allowing developers to take advantage of the app distribution mechanism. This makes the third type of app distribution available in the EU after the App Store and alternative app stores.

Developers must meet a number of requirements to independently distribute their apps, including being required to enroll in the Apple Developer Program in the EU, maintaining good status in the program for at least two consecutive years, and having an app that more than one had millions of installations in the EU last year.

In addition, developers must pay a fee to Apple. The price is 0.5 euros (about 80 yen) per installation if the app has been installed more than 1 million times in the last 12 months. For example, if the app has been downloaded 1.5 million times, the developer will have to pay a fee for 500,000 installs minus 1 million. Apple officialCalculation tool allows you to perform detailed calculations including various fees.

This fee, called the “Core Technology Fee (CTF),” can be nearly 100 times higher than the fee developers would pay if they distributed their apps through the App Store as usual, and developers have pointed out that they developers effectively forcing users to use the App Store, as developers would not choose a distribution method using a CTF unless it provided a significant benefit. Major technology companies have also taken notice of Apple's actions, with Meta, Microsoft, Spotify and others issuing statements condemning them.

Microsoft and Meta are committed to easing Apple's strict requirements for “establishing app stores outside of the App Store” – GIGAZINE

The requirements for iOS 17.5 Beta 2 stipulate that the first time a user downloads an app from a developer's website, they must go through a three-step installation process, including authenticating with Face ID. The multiple steps are only required the first time. After that, fewer download steps are required when the user gets an app from a developer they approve.

While Apple claims the process is a “reasonable security measure and permitted by the DMA,” critics of Apple’s approach claim it is “intended to frighten users, create tension, and discourage them from downloading apps from sources other than the App Store “. and that it is not a healthy authorization process.