Tension between Apple and the European Union continues to escalate. Trying to establish a certain standard around the world, the EU presented the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to the whole world. This adaptation process awaiting technology companies caused Apple the biggest headache. So much so that first the USB-C problem and then the third party application problem occurred. As the iOS 17 release date approaches, they cannot prevent this.
iOS 17 will have to support third-party applications
Apple has to support external application installation with iOS 17. The company has six months to allow sideloading of iOS 17 and potentially older iOS versions. Otherwise, he risks billions of dollars in fines. Even though you are a technology giant, billions of dollars are of course a large sum.
The European Commission has announced a list of supervisory companies and their applications/services. Apple’s iMessage is not a controller. So it doesn’t need to support interoperability with Google’s RCS anytime soon. However, iOS, Safari browser and App Store are controllers. As such, Apple has six months to make changes to these products according to DMA rules.
In other words, iPhones and iPads in the EU will soon support third-party app stores, third-party payment systems, and sideloading. It will all start with iOS 17, which is scheduled to be released next week.
How is DMA forcing Apple into third-party app support?
The EU reminded users, businesses and door controllers about the do’s and don’ts of the DMA legislation. The following examples would apply to Apple’s gateway controller services, including iOS and the App Store:
- End users will be allowed to install third-party applications or app stores that use or work with the gateway controller’s operating system.
- End users will be allowed to cancel their subscriptions as easily as they subscribe to the gateway controller’s underlying platform services.
- Third-party apps will be allowed to run alongside the gatekeeper’s (App Store) own services.
- App developers will be prohibited from requiring the gatekeeper to use certain services (such as payment systems or identity providers) for the gatekeeper to appear in app stores.
The EU published these laws, a first in Europe, practically ensuring that the iPhone supports sideloading, at least in EU member states. Since this should happen within six months, Apple will apply these laws to iOS 17.
When will Apple implement these changes in iOS 17?
So when will third-party application support come for iOS 17? Apple has had six months to implement the changes, so don’t expect sideloading to come to your iPhone anytime soon. Apple is likely to test this feature for months through iOS 17.x beta versions before officially rolling it out.
As a reminder, the final version of iOS 17 will be released next week. Apple will continue to add features to the iPhone operating system through iOS 17.x updates next year. However, as seen above, Apple must comply with the rules set by the EU until March 2024.
So what do you think about this news? You can share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
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