iOS 17 will allow you to bypass the App Store. The European Commission puts Apple on its knees

The loudest WWDC announcement of the year is neither an AR/VR headset nor new MacBooks. According to the latest information, the iOS 17 premiere is supposed to be even more exciting. The EU whip on Big Tech has begun to work: the new version of the mobile platform will break Apple’s monopoly on app distribution to users.

The Cupertino-based company has been fighting with the European Commission for years. It’s not just about the iPhone’s USB-C standard, but also about a strict iOS app policy that restricts both publishers and end users to converge in one place: the App Store. Unlike Google and Android, Apple does not allow you to install apps from outside the official store on its system.

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Soon, installing apps from outside the Apple Store is now available to all users. This will be possible thanks to the iOS 17 operating system, which the company will officially present during the upcoming WWDC 2023 conference.

iOS 17 will allow you to install apps from outside the App Store.

As the journalist writes bloomberg, Mark Gurman, The ability to install applications from outside the App Store will be implemented on Apple smartphones before the end of the year. The change in Apple’s policy is due to the implementation of the Digital Markets Act by the European Union, under which Apple falls within the definition of “Access guardian”. As the gatekeeper to access, Apple is required to allow apps from outside its own store to be installed on its mobile devices.

Given that failure to comply with EU requirements will result in a multi-million dollar penalty and, in the worst case, removal from the market, Apple started working on solutions to meet EU requirements a few months ago.

Some engineers are working on a blueprint [systemu pozwalającego na instalowanie aplikacji spoza App Store] They also see it as a distraction from the usual daily development of future functions as people claim [powiązani ze sprawą]. The company aims to have the changes ready as part of the iOS 17 update next year, which will be in line with requirements [Unii Europejskiej].

– he wrote Gorman in December 2022

At the same time, Apple has not yet decided how to “unlock” iMessage, because DMA obliges the company to make its messenger available on platforms outside of the Apple ecosystem.