New App Download Method Introduced for iPhone Users in EU with iOS 17.5 Beta

It’s been a significant year for iPhone users across the European Union. Initially, Apple was compelled to permit them to access apps from third-party stores, a feature introduced with iOS 17.4. Now, with the latest beta release of iOS 17.5, users have the ability to download apps directly from websites.

This change, long in the making due to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), marks a departure from the exclusive reliance on Apple’s App Store for both users and developers. However, it comes with stringent conditions for developers.

As previously reported, developers must have been part of the official developer program for a minimum of two years to offer website downloads. Additionally, they can only provide apps that garnered one million or more first installs on iOS within the EU in the preceding year. Furthermore, developers are required to maintain transparency regarding their data collection policies, and their apps must pass Apple’s notarization process to ensure they are not harmful.

Developers will also need to be transparent about their data collection policies, and these apps also need to make it through Apple’s notarization process (which checks that they’re not malicious).

All of this is arguably good news for users, as it helps to ensure that the apps they’re downloading are safe to install, just as when they download apps from the App Store itself.

For developers, it entails navigating through several hoops, with Apple possibly banking on discouraging many from pursuing this route, considering its historical reluctance towards app downloads from sources other than the App Store.

Switching one fee for another

However, several requirements mirror those for developers on the App Store. Consequently, developers might opt for this approach to circumvent the 30% fee charged by Apple for App Store downloads.