2 weeks Ago By Kamya Pandey
Explainer Briefly Slides The European Commission will assess whether the Apple iPad operating system (iPadOS) complies with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Enforced in November 2022, the DMA targets unfair market practices to ensure that there is fair and transparent competition in digital markets. It sets out a range of practices that larger digital companies (like Apple) must carry out including allowing users to uninstall pre-installed apps, change defaults, and download alternative app stores.
As such, to comply with the regulation, Apple must ensure that the iPadOS allows users to set their own default browsers, and permits them to use app stores other than Apple’s app store. This came after Apple submitted to the commission a compliance report detailing how it had implemented the requirements set out under the DMA on November 1 . In this report, Apple mentions that developers can now create alternative app marketplaces, adding that it now gives developers access to new app marketplace frameworks and application programming interfaces (API) to allow them access to Apple notarised apps (apps that Apple has checked for malicious content).
Apple put all apps through this review process. It also allows EU users to directly download apps from developers’ sites (called sideloading), emphasising that this sort of download comes with increased privacy and security risks for users. All these DMA compliances are set in starting iOS 17.
4 and iPad OS 18. Why it matters: This compliance report comes amidst two non-compliance investigations against Apple in the EU. In March this year, the European Commission initiated its investigation into the company stating that it wasn’t giving users a real opportunity to exercise the choice of picking alternative services.
The authority specifically argued that the choice screen (which allows users to pick alternative browsers or search engines) on the Safari web browser was restrictive. It also opened up an investigation into the Apple App Store which the European Commission argued restricts users from downloading apps from external app stores or from websites. In June this year, the authority found Apple non-compliant with the DMA, and then in September it began assisting Apple with DMA’s interoperability obligations.
Depending on the Commission’s analysis of the report, Apple could end up facing financial penalties or could also be required to make major changes to its business. As per the DMA, the commission can fine companies up to 10% of their global turnover for non-compliance. It can also ask companies to remedy the non-compliance by asking a company to sell parts of its business or banning it from acquiring additional services related to the non-compliance.
According to anonymous sources who spoke to Reuters , the commission is set to fine Apple under the DMA soon, making it the first company to face sanctions under the act. Other key details from the report: The company suggests that developers should evaluate a marketplace’s terms and conditions including financial obligations before distributing their apps on it. To authorise an alternative marketplace to distribute their app, developers in the Apple ecosystem must contact the marketplace developer to receive a security token required for alternative distribution.
They can do so through Apple’s App Store Connect tool . The company mentions that developers creating alternative app stores have to go through Apple notarisation (like all other iOS and iPadOS apps). It notes that app stores have to ensure user protection from scams, implement transparent data collection practices, and manage payment-related disputes and refunds.
As such, Apple says that it only allows app store developers to distribute their services if they meet specific criteria. If a developer wants iPadOS users in the EU to side load their apps, they must make sure that their app meets notarisation standards like other iOS and iPad OS apps. Further, users can only download this app from a website domain that the developer registers with Apple through App Store Connect.
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