Apple declares modifications to iOS, Safari, and the App Retailer within the European Union

January 25, 2024

PRESS RELEASE

Apple declares modifications to iOS, Safari, and the App Retailer within the European Union

For builders, the modifications embrace new choices for app distribution and cost processing

For customers, the modifications embrace new controls and disclosures, and expanded protections to cut back privateness and safety dangers the DMA creates

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple right this moment introduced modifications to iOS, Safari, and the App Retailer impacting builders’ apps within the European Union (EU) to adjust to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The modifications embrace greater than 600 new APIs, expanded app analytics, performance for various browser engines, and choices for processing app funds and distributing iOS apps. Throughout each change, Apple is introducing new safeguards that scale back — however don’t eradicate — new dangers the DMA poses to EU customers. With these steps, Apple will proceed to ship the very best, most safe expertise doable for EU customers.

The brand new choices for processing funds and downloading apps on iOS open new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, illicit and dangerous content material, and different privateness and safety threats. That’s why Apple is introducing protections — together with Notarization for iOS apps, an authorization for market builders, and disclosures on various funds — to cut back dangers and ship the very best, most safe expertise doable for customers within the EU. Even with these safeguards in place, many dangers stay.

Builders can study these modifications on the Apple Developer Help web page and might start testing new capabilities right this moment within the iOS 17.4 beta. The brand new capabilities will turn out to be out there to customers within the 27 EU international locations starting in March 2024.

“The modifications we’re saying right this moment adjust to the Digital Markets Act’s necessities within the European Union, whereas serving to to guard EU customers from the unavoidable elevated privateness and safety threats this regulation brings. Our precedence stays creating the very best, most safe doable expertise for our customers within the EU and world wide,” mentioned Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow. “Builders can now study concerning the new instruments and phrases out there for various app distribution and various cost processing, new capabilities for various browser engines and contactless funds, and extra. Importantly, builders can select to stay on the identical enterprise phrases in place right this moment if they like.”

The modifications for EU apps replicate the European Fee’s designation of iOS, Safari, and the App Retailer as “core platform companies” beneath the Digital Markets Act. In March, Apple will share new sources to assist EU customers perceive the modifications they will anticipate. That features steerage to assist EU customers navigate complexities the DMA’s modifications carry — together with a much less intuitive consumer expertise — and greatest practices for approaching new dangers related to downloading apps and processing funds exterior of the App Retailer.

Accessible for builders’ apps world wide, Apple additionally introduced new choices for streaming video games, together with greater than 50 forthcoming reviews in areas like engagement, commerce, app utilization, and extra.

Adjustments to iOS

Within the EU, Apple is making a lot of modifications to iOS to adjust to the DMA. For builders, these modifications embrace new choices for distributing apps. The approaching modifications to iOS within the EU embrace:

• New choices for distributing iOS apps from various app marketplaces — together with new APIs and instruments that allow builders to supply their iOS apps for obtain from various app marketplaces.

• New framework and APIs for creating various app marketplaces — enabling market builders to put in apps and handle updates on behalf of different builders from their devoted market app.

• New frameworks and APIs for various browser engines — enabling builders to make use of browser engines, apart from WebKit, for browser apps and apps with in-app looking experiences.

• Interoperability request type — the place builders can submit extra requests for interoperability with iPhone and iOS {hardware} and software program options.

As introduced by the European Fee, Apple can also be sharing DMA-compliant modifications impacting contactless funds. That features new APIs enabling builders to make use of NFC expertise of their banking and pockets apps all through the European Financial Space. And within the EU, Apple is introducing new controls that permit customers to pick a third-party contactless cost app — or another app market — as their default.

Inevitably, the brand new choices for builders’ EU apps create new dangers to Apple customers and their gadgets. Apple can’t eradicate these dangers, however inside the DMA’s constraints, the corporate will take steps to cut back them. These safeguards shall be in place when customers obtain iOS 17.4 or later, starting in March, and embrace:

• Notarization for iOS apps — a baseline evaluation that applies to all apps, no matter their distribution channel, centered on platform integrity and defending customers. Notarization entails a mix of automated checks and human evaluation. 

• App set up sheets — that use info from the Notarization course of to offer at-a-glance descriptions of apps and their performance earlier than obtain, together with the developer, screenshots, and different important info.

• Authorization for market builders — to make sure market builders decide to ongoing necessities that assist shield customers and builders.

• Extra malware protections — that forestall iOS apps from launching in the event that they’re discovered to include malware after being put in to a consumer’s gadget.

These protections — together with Notarization for iOS apps, and authorization for market builders — assist scale back among the privateness and safety dangers to iOS customers within the EU. That features threats like malware or malicious code, and dangers of putting in apps that misrepresent their performance or the accountable developer.

Nonetheless, Apple has much less potential to handle different dangers — together with apps that include scams, fraud, and abuse, or that expose customers to illicit, objectionable, or dangerous content material. As well as, apps that use various browser engines — apart from Apple’s WebKit — could negatively have an effect on the consumer expertise, together with impacts to system efficiency and battery life.

Throughout the DMA’s constraints, Apple is dedicated to defending the privateness, safety, and high quality of the iOS consumer expertise within the EU as a lot as doable. As an example, App Monitoring Transparency will proceed to work with apps distributed exterior of the App Retailer — asking a consumer’s permission earlier than a developer tracks their knowledge throughout apps or web sites. Nonetheless, the DMA’s necessities imply that App Retailer options — together with Household Buy Sharing and Ask to Purchase — won’t be suitable with apps downloaded from exterior of the App Retailer.

When these modifications come into impact in March, Apple will share extra detailed sources explaining the choices out there to customers — together with greatest practices for safeguarding their privateness and safety.

Adjustments to Safari

In the present day, iOS customers have already got the flexibility to set a third-party internet browser — apart from Safari — as their default. Reflecting the DMA’s necessities, Apple can also be introducing a brand new alternative display screen that may floor when customers first open Safari in iOS 17.4 or later. That display screen will immediate EU customers to decide on a default browser from an inventory of choices.

This modification is a results of the DMA’s necessities, and signifies that EU customers shall be confronted with an inventory of default browsers earlier than they’ve the chance to grasp the choices out there to them. The display screen additionally interrupts EU customers’ expertise the primary time they open Safari meaning to navigate to a webpage.

Adjustments to the App Retailer

On the App Retailer, Apple is sharing a lot of modifications for builders with apps within the EU, affecting apps throughout Apple’s working techniques — together with iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. The modifications additionally embrace new disclosures informing EU customers of the dangers related to utilizing alternate options to the App Retailer’s safe cost processing.

For builders, these modifications embrace:

• New choices for utilizing cost service suppliers (PSPs) — inside a developer’s app to course of funds for digital items and companies.

• New choices for processing funds by way of link-out — the place customers can full a transaction for digital items and companies on the developer’s exterior web site. Builders may also inform EU customers of promotions, reductions, and different offers out there exterior of their apps.

• Enterprise planning instruments — for builders to estimate charges and perceive metrics related to Apple’s new enterprise phrases for apps within the EU.

The modifications additionally embrace new steps to guard and inform EU customers, together with:

• App Retailer product web page labels — that inform customers when an app they’re downloading makes use of various cost processing.