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January 25, 2024
PRESS RELEASE
Apple broadcasts modifications to iOS, Safari, and the App Retailer within the European Union
For builders, the modifications embrace new choices for app distribution and cost processing
For customers, the modifications embrace new controls and disclosures, and expanded protections to cut back privateness and safety dangers the DMA creates
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple right now introduced modifications to iOS, Safari, and the App Retailer impacting builders’ apps within the European Union (EU) to adjust to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The modifications embrace greater than 600 new APIs, expanded app analytics, performance for different browser engines, and choices for processing app funds and distributing iOS apps. Throughout each change, Apple is introducing new safeguards that scale back — however don’t get rid of — new dangers the DMA poses to EU customers. With these steps, Apple will proceed to ship the most effective, most safe expertise potential for EU customers.
The brand new choices for processing funds and downloading apps on iOS open new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, illicit and dangerous content material, and different privateness and safety threats. That’s why Apple is introducing protections — together with Notarization for iOS apps, an authorization for market builders, and disclosures on different funds — to cut back dangers and ship the most effective, most safe expertise potential for customers within the EU. Even with these safeguards in place, many dangers stay.
Builders can study these modifications on the Apple Developer Support page and might start testing new capabilities right now within the iOS 17.4 beta. The brand new capabilities will turn out to be obtainable to customers within the 27 EU international locations starting in March 2024.
“The modifications we’re asserting right now adjust to the Digital Markets Act’s necessities within the European Union, whereas serving to to guard EU customers from the unavoidable elevated privateness and safety threats this regulation brings. Our precedence stays creating the most effective, most safe potential expertise for our customers within the EU and all over the world,” mentioned Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow. “Builders can now study concerning the new instruments and phrases obtainable for different app distribution and different cost processing, new capabilities for different browser engines and contactless funds, and extra. Importantly, builders can select to stay on the identical enterprise phrases in place right now if they like.”
The modifications for EU apps mirror the European Fee’s designation of iOS, Safari, and the App Retailer as “core platform companies” beneath the Digital Markets Act. In March, Apple will share new sources to assist EU customers perceive the modifications they will count on. That features steering to assist EU customers navigate complexities the DMA’s modifications carry — together with a much less intuitive person expertise — and finest practices for approaching new dangers related to downloading apps and processing funds outdoors of the App Retailer.
Obtainable for builders’ apps all over the world, Apple additionally introduced new options for streaming games, together with greater than 50 forthcoming experiences in areas like engagement, commerce, app utilization, and extra.
Adjustments to iOS
Within the EU, Apple is making various modifications to iOS to adjust to the DMA. For builders, these modifications embrace new choices for distributing apps. The approaching modifications to iOS within the EU embrace:
- New choices for distributing iOS apps from different app marketplaces — together with new APIs and instruments that allow builders to supply their iOS apps for obtain from different app marketplaces.
- New framework and APIs for creating different app marketplaces — enabling market builders to put in apps and handle updates on behalf of different builders from their devoted market app.
- New frameworks and APIs for different browser engines — enabling builders to make use of browser engines, aside from WebKit, for browser apps and apps with in-app shopping experiences.
- Interoperability request kind — the place builders can submit further requests for interoperability with iPhone and iOS {hardware} and software program options.
As introduced by the European Fee, Apple can also be sharing DMA-compliant modifications impacting contactless funds. That features new APIs enabling builders to make use of NFC expertise of their banking and pockets apps all through the European Financial Space. And within the EU, Apple is introducing new controls that permit customers to pick a third-party contactless cost app — or an alternate app market — as their default.
Inevitably, the brand new choices for builders’ EU apps create new dangers to Apple customers and their units. Apple can’t get rid of these dangers, however throughout the DMA’s constraints, the corporate will take steps to cut back them. These safeguards shall be in place when customers obtain iOS 17.4 or later, starting in March, and embrace:
- Notarization for iOS apps — a baseline overview that applies to all apps, no matter their distribution channel, centered on platform integrity and defending customers. Notarization entails a mix of automated checks and human overview.
- App set up sheets — that use info from the Notarization course of to offer at-a-glance descriptions of apps and their performance earlier than obtain, together with the developer, screenshots, and different important info.
- Authorization for market builders — to make sure market builders decide to ongoing necessities that assist defend customers and builders.
- Extra malware protections — that stop iOS apps from launching in the event that they’re discovered to include malware after being put in to a person’s machine.
These protections — together with Notarization for iOS apps, and authorization for market builders — assist scale back a number of the privateness and safety dangers to iOS customers within the EU. That features threats like malware or malicious code, and dangers of putting in apps that misrepresent their performance or the accountable developer.
Nevertheless, Apple has much less means to handle different dangers — together with apps that include scams, fraud, and abuse, or that expose customers to illicit, objectionable, or dangerous content material. As well as, apps that use different browser engines — aside from Apple’s WebKit — might negatively have an effect on the person expertise, together with impacts to system efficiency and battery life.
Throughout the DMA’s constraints, Apple is dedicated to defending the privateness, safety, and high quality of the iOS person expertise within the EU as a lot as potential. As an illustration, App Monitoring Transparency will proceed to work with apps distributed outdoors of the App Retailer — asking a person’s permission earlier than a developer tracks their information throughout apps or web sites. Nevertheless, the DMA’s necessities imply that App Retailer options — together with Household Buy Sharing and Ask to Purchase — won’t be suitable with apps downloaded from outdoors of the App Retailer.
When these modifications come into impact in March, Apple will share extra detailed sources explaining the choices obtainable to customers — together with finest practices for safeguarding their privateness and safety.
Adjustments to Safari
At the moment, iOS customers have already got the flexibility to set a third-party net browser — aside from Safari — as their default. Reflecting the DMA’s necessities, Apple can also be introducing a brand new alternative display that can floor when customers first open Safari in iOS 17.4 or later. That display will immediate EU customers to decide on a default browser from an inventory of choices.
This modification is a results of the DMA’s necessities, and implies that EU customers shall be confronted with an inventory of default browsers earlier than they’ve the chance to grasp the choices obtainable to them. The display additionally interrupts EU customers’ expertise the primary time they open Safari desiring to navigate to a webpage.
Adjustments to the App Retailer
On the App Retailer, Apple is sharing various modifications for builders with apps within the EU, affecting apps throughout Apple’s working techniques — together with iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. The modifications additionally embrace new disclosures informing EU customers of the dangers related to utilizing options to the App Retailer’s safe cost processing.
For builders, these modifications embrace:
- New choices for utilizing cost service suppliers (PSPs) — inside a developer’s app to course of funds for digital items and companies.
- New choices for processing funds by way of link-out — the place customers can full a transaction for digital items and companies on the developer’s exterior web site. Builders may inform EU customers of promotions, reductions, and different offers obtainable outdoors of their apps.
- Enterprise planning instruments — for builders to estimate charges and perceive metrics related to Apple’s new enterprise phrases for apps within the EU.
The modifications additionally embrace new steps to guard and inform EU customers, together with:
- App Retailer product web page labels — that inform customers when an app they’re downloading makes use of different cost processing.
- In-app disclosure sheets — that permit customers know when they’re not transacting with Apple, and when a developer is directing them to transact utilizing an alternate cost processor.
- New App Evaluate processes — to confirm that builders precisely talk details about transactions that use different cost processors.
- Expanded information portability on Apple’s Information & Privateness web site — the place EU customers can retrieve new information about their utilization of the App Retailer and export it to a licensed third occasion.
For apps that use different cost processing, Apple won’t be able to challenge refunds, and may have much less means to assist prospects encountering points, scams, or fraud. Useful App Retailer options — like Report a Drawback, Household Sharing, and Ask to Purchase — may also not mirror these transactions. Customers might should share their cost info with further events, creating extra alternatives for unhealthy actors to steal delicate monetary info. And on the App Retailer, customers’ buy historical past and subscription administration will solely mirror transactions made utilizing the App Retailer’s In-App Buy system.
New Enterprise Phrases for Apps within the EU
Additionally right now, Apple is sharing new enterprise phrases obtainable for builders’ apps within the European Union. Builders can select to undertake these new enterprise phrases, or keep on Apple’s present phrases. Builders should undertake the brand new enterprise phrases for EU apps to make use of the brand new capabilities for different distribution or different cost processing.
The brand new enterprise phrases for apps within the EU are essential to assist the DMA’s necessities for different distribution and cost processing. That features a price construction that displays the numerous methods Apple creates worth for builders’ companies — together with distribution and discovery on the App Retailer, the App Retailer’s safe cost processing, Apple’s trusted and safe cell platform, and all of the instruments and expertise to construct and share progressive apps with customers all over the world.
Builders working beneath both set of enterprise phrases can proceed to make use of the App Retailer’s safe cost processing and share their apps on the App Retailer within the EU. And each units of enterprise phrases mirror Apple’s long-standing work to make the app ecosystem the most effective alternative for all builders.
Builders working beneath the brand new enterprise phrases may have the choice to distribute their iOS apps from the App Retailer and/or different app marketplaces. These builders may select to make use of different cost processors of their EU apps on the App Retailer, throughout Apple’s working techniques.
The brand new enterprise phrases for iOS apps within the EU have three components:
- Decreased fee — iOS apps on the App Retailer pays a lowered fee of both 10 % (for the overwhelming majority of builders, and subscriptions following their first yr) or 17 % on transactions for digital items and companies.
- Cost processing price — iOS apps on the App Retailer can use the App Retailer’s cost processing for a further 3 % price. Builders can use a cost service supplier inside their app or hyperlink customers to their web site to course of funds for no further price to Apple.
- Core Expertise Charge — iOS apps distributed from the App Retailer and/or an alternate app market pays €0.50 for every first annual set up per yr over a 1 million threshold.
For apps on iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS within the EU, builders who course of funds utilizing a PSP or by linking out to their web site will get a 3 % low cost on the fee they owe to Apple.
Apple can also be sharing a fee calculator tool and new experiences to assist builders estimate the potential influence of the brand new enterprise phrases on their app companies. Builders can study extra concerning the modifications for EU apps on a brand new Apple Developer Support page and might start testing these capabilities right now within the iOS 17.4 beta.
About Apple
Apple revolutionized private expertise with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. At the moment, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple’s 5 software program platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS — present seamless experiences throughout all Apple units and empower folks with breakthrough companies together with the App Retailer, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. Apple’s greater than 100,000 staff are devoted to creating the most effective merchandise on earth, and to leaving the world higher than we discovered it.
Press Contacts
Peter Ajemian
Apple
Apple Media Helpline
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