The Digital Markets Act (DMA) introduces new regulations aimed at boosting competition within the app ecosystem, allowing people in the European Union to access alternative app stores. Like Apple's App Store, these elective marketplaces offer a wide range of apps, but they skip Apple's App Review process. Instead, these third-party platforms must undergo a notarization process to ensure they meet basic platform integrity standards, such as being free of malware. Each alternative app store has individual policies to review and approve apps while being responsible for handling support and refunds on its own and not Apple.
The developers must accept alternative business terms of Apple to run the DMA-compliant apps in the European Union. This includes a Core Technology Fee payment of €0.50 on the initial annual installation of their marketplace app, before reaching the threshold of reaching 1 million installations, which is standard for every EU app allocated through the DMA business terms of Apple.
For apps downloaded through alternative app distribution methods, some features might not work as they used to. Features such as “restrictions on In-App Purchases via Screen Time, purchase sharing with your Family Sharing group, and Ask to Buy are not supported,” as these rely on the App Store and its secure In-App Purchases system. However, “Screen Time, parental controls, and Spotlight will continue to function and maintain Apple’s security, privacy, and safety standards.”
Despite the complex new regulations, a few developers have seized the opportunity to give out their apps beyond Apple's ecosystem. Some of the alternative app stores for iPhone users of the European Union to try on are AltStore PAL, Setapp Mobile, Epic Games Store, Aptoide, and Mobivention Marketplace.
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