Apple is permitting developers to sell their apps on their own websites, with some restrictions.
BRUSSELS: Software developers using Apple’s App Store will be able to distribute apps to EU users directly from their websites this spring, the company said on Tuesday, as part of changes required by new EU rules forcing Apple to open up its closed ecosystem. .
The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which took effect last week, requires Apple to offer alternative app stores for iPhones and allow developers to opt out of its in-app payment system, which charges fees of up to 30 percent.
“We’re providing more flexibility for developers who share apps in the European Union, including by introducing a new way to share apps directly from the developer’s website,” Apple said in a blog post.
“Apple provides authorized developers with access to APIs (application programming interfaces) that make it easier for them to distribute their apps over the web, integrate with system functions, back up and restore users’ apps, and more,” the company said.
Other changes include the fact that developers who have established alternative app marketplaces can offer a list consisting exclusively of the marketplace’s developers’ own apps.
Developers can choose how to design in-app offers, discounts, and other offers when they direct users to complete a transaction on their website instead of using Apple’s model.
Apple’s changes come amid continued criticism from rivals that its compliance efforts have failed. DMA violations can cost companies up to 10% of their global turnover.
