Apple updates rules surrounding EU DMA compliance to address developer concerns

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iOS

Developers in the EU have improved the ability to sign up for Apple's updated terms, a one-time exit clause, and new eligibility criteria that should address many concerns.

The App Store icon on a blue background
Apple updates how developers are affected by its EU DMA compliance



After Apple announced how it would handle the European Union Digital Markets Act, it was called malicious compliance by some. After meeting with developers and copious feedback, Apple has made some changes to those rules days before the DMA goes into effect.

According to information provided by Apple and updated documentation, the terms have had three significant changes made to address developer concerns. It'll be easier to create an alternative marketplace and undo the new contract if needed.

The new rules created by the DMA are not required for developers. The developer must opt-in and sign an addendum agreeing to new rules regarding how Apple gets a commission.

Apple has removed the corporate entity requirement that made it so every account attached to a company had to sign the contract addendum. It is now controlled on the account level, allowing a business to manage multiple developer accounts with different rules in and out of the App Store.

A primary concern surrounding Apple's new EU rules was the Core Technology Fee, which would require developers to pay a half euro for each annual install over a threshold of 1 million. This rule could cause financial trouble for apps like Widgetsmith that wouldn't make enough money to cover a sudden $50k bill due to a spike in popularity.

Now, if a developer approaches the one million download mark, there is a single chance to back out of the new contract. The developer can terminate the addendum and return to having an app in the App Store with the usual 30% or 15% cut.

That one-time escape clause can be activated at any time. However, if the developer signs the addendum again, there's no going back.

Finally, Apple has made it easier for developers to create alternative app marketplaces by not requiring a standby letter of credit under certain circumstances. If the developer's account has existed for two years and has an established app business in the EU with more than 1 million first annual installs, the entity could open an alternative marketplace without the standby letter of credit.

The ability to run alternative app marketplaces or download apps from outside of the App Store is enabled by iOS 17.4. Apple released iOS 17.4 to the public earlier on Tuesday.



Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 17
    libertymatterslibertymatters Posts: 39member
    A maze of red tape to make it prohibitive.  An alternative app store on macOS requires no interaction or input from Apple at all.  An example is MacPorts.  The real answer here is customers demanding app freedom on iOS and iPadOS from Apple and voting with their dollars if Apple doesn't deliver.  The same app freedoms should exist on iOS/iPadOS as has existed on macOS since 1984: 'sideloading' allowed.  The very term 'sideloading' is itself a loaded term that presumes an authority that Apple doesn't have, control of YOUR device.  It is your device not Apple's.  You should be able to load on it whatever app you darn well please.   That is still true on the Mac.  It should be true for iPhones too.
    elijahgwilliamlondonavon b7xyzzy-xxx
  • Reply 2 of 17
    red oakred oak Posts: 1,089member
    A maze of red tape to make it prohibitive.  An alternative app store on macOS requires no interaction or input from Apple at all.  An example is MacPorts.  The real answer here is customers demanding app freedom on iOS and iPadOS from Apple and voting with their dollars if Apple doesn't deliver.  The same app freedoms should exist on iOS/iPadOS as has existed on macOS since 1984: 'sideloading' allowed.  The very term 'sideloading' is itself a loaded term that presumes an authority that Apple doesn't have, control of YOUR device.  It is your device not Apple's.  You should be able to load on it whatever app you darn well please.   That is still true on the Mac.  It should be true for iPhones too.
    No one wants this other than a few greedy, hypocritical developers. Apple went ahead and has now created a whole system with full support for alternative app stores. Let’s see now if more than 10 people use them

     I’ll enjoy watching these app stores fall on their faces
    edited March 5 williamlondonstrongyMisterKittmayBart Ywatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 17
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,308member
    Mr. “I do my own research” in post #1 fails to note that Mac malware is far more prevelant than it is on iOS precisely because sideloading is allowed (not to mention Android, which has the same problem). He also conveniently omits that the Mac App Store is far and away the dominant source of Mac apps, even though users have “freedom of choice” to get their apps anywhere.

    The same thing is going to happen here — the Apple App Store will remain the dominant place to get apps, and I predict that most alternative app stores will close up shop within two years of opening, because very few if any of them will be able to convince users that they are as safe, secure, privacy-focused (that’s a big one), and generally trustworthy as Apple’s Store (this is also the case with Google/Android, incidentally).

    This is NOT, btw, me arguing there shouldn’t be any alternative App Stores. Quite the opposite, actually. But it’s a LOT of money and work to build a store with the kind of stellar reputation Apple’s store has, and thus the ones most likely to succeed to are either very big corporations that have a lot of money and technical savvy behind them to convince users they are safe, OR small sites that specialize strictly in apps that Apple doesn’t allow (read: porn, mostly).
    muthuk_vanalingamBart Ywatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 17
    CheeseFreezeCheeseFreeze Posts: 1,250member
    A maze of red tape to make it prohibitive.  An alternative app store on macOS requires no interaction or input from Apple at all.  An example is MacPorts.  The real answer here is customers demanding app freedom on iOS and iPadOS from Apple and voting with their dollars if Apple doesn't deliver.  The same app freedoms should exist on iOS/iPadOS as has existed on macOS since 1984: 'sideloading' allowed.  The very term 'sideloading' is itself a loaded term that presumes an authority that Apple doesn't have, control of YOUR device.  It is your device not Apple's.  You should be able to load on it whatever app you darn well please.   That is still true on the Mac.  It should be true for iPhones too.
    Well said and good observation around the term “side loading”, which by itself is a propaganda term. It’s really simply “downloading”.

    As long as the operating system has the necessary protections to “sandbox” security on a per app-level and the app not having the ability to touch things like the kernel or system level services, it’s perfectly fine to place the responsibility in the user’s hands when it comes to downloading from other sources.

    The snarky, somewhat juvenile comments from “Chasm” feel like fanboyism, defending a large corporation who has been actively lobbying a false narrative of security vs exploits, but is really only interested in two things: control and profits.
    It reduces what can be a mature dialogue to personal attacks, and this keeps happening on this forum.
    It is just a matter of time before these rules become the new standard. EU is considered a perfect pilot for the US and other territories. 
    edited March 5 xyzzy-xxxlibertymattersgatorguywilliamlondoncropr
  • Reply 5 of 17
    paisleydiscopaisleydisco Posts: 87member
    " it’s perfectly fine to place the responsibility in the user’s hands when it comes to downloading from other sources."


    Meh. Lots and lots of many dumb people with iPhones. Their responsibility until they start crying to Apple about their compromised iPhone. 

    Just the other day a friend's friend was showing us some page to purchase Watch faces from within the Facebook app. No matter how many times we explained it wasn't from Apple's app store he just kept pointing at his iPhone saying it was an Apple iPhone. He was really confused of why we were telling him he was going to purchase something inside his Facebook app and he kept insisting he was buying it from Apple. LMAO!

    This is the future of alt app stores and dumb people just being ignorant. 
    get seriousBart Ywatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 17
    ericthehalfbeeericthehalfbee Posts: 4,486member
    CheeseFreeze said:
    A maze of red tape to make it prohibitive.  An alternative app store on macOS requires no interaction or input from Apple at all.  An example is MacPorts.  The real answer here is customers demanding app freedom on iOS and iPadOS from Apple and voting with their dollars if Apple doesn't deliver.  The same app freedoms should exist on iOS/iPadOS as has existed on macOS since 1984: 'sideloading' allowed.  The very term 'sideloading' is itself a loaded term that presumes an authority that Apple doesn't have, control of YOUR device.  It is your device not Apple's.  You should be able to load on it whatever app you darn well please.   That is still true on the Mac.  It should be true for iPhones too.
    Well said and good observation around the term “side loading”, which by itself is a propaganda term. It’s really simply “downloading”.

    As long as the operating system has the necessary protections to “sandbox” security on a per app-level and the app not having the ability to touch things like the kernel or system level services, it’s perfectly fine to place the responsibility in the user’s hands when it comes to downloading from other sources.

    The snarky, somewhat juvenile comments from “Chasm” feel like fanboyism, defending a large corporation who has been actively lobbying a false narrative of security vs exploits, but is really only interested in two things: control and profits.
    It reduces what can be a mature dialogue to personal attacks, and this keeps happening on this forum.
    It is just a matter of time before these rules become the new standard. EU is considered a perfect pilot for the US and other territories. 

    False narrative of security?

    when people make outright lies like this you get surprised when people make snarky comments back?
    auxiowilliamlondonBart Ywatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 17
    dope_ahminedope_ahmine Posts: 253member
    A maze of red tape to make it prohibitive.  An alternative app store on macOS requires no interaction or input from Apple at all.  An example is MacPorts.  The real answer here is customers demanding app freedom on iOS and iPadOS from Apple and voting with their dollars if Apple doesn't deliver.  The same app freedoms should exist on iOS/iPadOS as has existed on macOS since 1984: 'sideloading' allowed.  The very term 'sideloading' is itself a loaded term that presumes an authority that Apple doesn't have, control of YOUR device.  It is your device not Apple's.  You should be able to load on it whatever app you darn well please.   That is still true on the Mac.  It should be true for iPhones too.
    @libertymatters  You need to be able to distinguish between iOS and iPhone. You bought an iPhone, and that's yours to use as you see fit. You can throw it into a wall, or jailbreak it, or whatever. On that iPhone, Apple has preinstalled their iOS software without a separate charge. But you didn't buy iOS, and nobody is forcing you to use it either.

    You can see iOS as a free, large application with a bootloader, and the ability to add extensions to it. Therefore, Apple has the full right to decide what extensions ("apps") you can download and add to it. This is the way things have been in the digital world since the dawn of times. So, I would say that liberty matters as much as it ever did.
    muthuk_vanalingambadmonkget serioustmayBart Ywatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 17
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,728member
    A maze of red tape to make it prohibitive.  An alternative app store on macOS requires no interaction or input from Apple at all.  An example is MacPorts.  The real answer here is customers demanding app freedom on iOS and iPadOS from Apple and voting with their dollars if Apple doesn't deliver.  The same app freedoms should exist on iOS/iPadOS as has existed on macOS since 1984: 'sideloading' allowed.  The very term 'sideloading' is itself a loaded term that presumes an authority that Apple doesn't have, control of YOUR device.  It is your device not Apple's.  You should be able to load on it whatever app you darn well please.   That is still true on the Mac.  It should be true for iPhones too.
    Well said and good observation around the term “side loading”, which by itself is a propaganda term. It’s really simply “downloading”.

    As long as the operating system has the necessary protections to “sandbox” security on a per app-level and the app not having the ability to touch things like the kernel or system level services, it’s perfectly fine to place the responsibility in the user’s hands when it comes to downloading from other sources.

    The snarky, somewhat juvenile comments from “Chasm” feel like fanboyism, defending a large corporation who has been actively lobbying a false narrative of security vs exploits, but is really only interested in two things: control and profits.
    It reduces what can be a mature dialogue to personal attacks, and this keeps happening on this forum.
    It is just a matter of time before these rules become the new standard. EU is considered a perfect pilot for the US and other territories. 
    The snarky narrative being delivered by tech elitists just proves the same story which has been around since the advent of the personal computer: if you don't know as much about technology as I do, too bad, you shouldn't be using devices and deserve whatever problems you get.

    Honestly, why do you need to force your personal worldview on everyone? You want a phone which you're free to hack to your heart's content? There are plenty of Linux based phones which give you all the freedom you want. Apple is designing phones for the average person who doesn't know or care about the intimate details of technology, and just wants something which is easy to use and protects them when they may accidentally do something they shouldn't because they don't know why they shouldn't.

    In regard to Mac vs iPhone, the big difference between a computer and a phone is that there is a lot more personal information on a phone than there is a computer. Also, a phone is almost always connected to the internet, whereas a computer tends to only connect sporadically (talking about computers as used by the average person, not an enthusiast). Those two things make a phone a much more lucrative target for scammers and thieves. And why Apple goes to great lengths to keep the average person protected, even if they might unwittingly do things which the tech elite consider to be obvious and stupid. Because not everyone has the same interest in/aptitude for technology, nor should they need to.

    When I look at all the shady things modern tech companies do behind the scenes (data harvesting, using human psychology to addict people to social media, using bots to push an agenda, etc), I honestly question the motivation of the tech elitist "freedom fighters" and wonder if they're actually just trying to find more ways to scam the average person for profit.
    edited March 6 foregoneconclusionBart Ywatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 17
    libertymatterslibertymatters Posts: 39member
    The fanboyism here never disappoints. I've been on the Apple train since the mid 90s.  Let's call a spade a spade though, Apple dictating to you what can and cannot be on your iPhone is authoritarianism run amok.  Today they are not banning things you care about, but what about when they do?  It is going to happen.  What ground will you have to stand on then?  We would have never tolerated this heavy handedness in the 90s or even early 2000s.  We should not tolerate it today.  Governments and corporations, run by western oligarchs, are out of control censoring to maintain their control, rule, and profits.  People across the political spectrum should be very alarmed by this.  It is very  bad for the people.

    To the sky is falling fear mongers about security, question, is the Mac so unsafe to use? Do you really want to make that argument? I am arguing for the exact same security model that keeps the Mac safe be applied to iOS and iPadOS.  There really is no excuse not to do so other than power and money.  If you're opposed to it you have to concede the Mac is unsafe.  It is sick to watch so many 'progressives' defend a large corporations' profits and power. 
    williamlondon
  • Reply 10 of 17
    williamlondonwilliamlondon Posts: 1,324member
    libertymatters said:
    The fanboyism here never disappoints.
    Juvenile argument akin to putting gum in the hair of your enemy on the playground, calling people childish names just because they disagree with you. Grow up.
    Bart Ywatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 17
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,728member
    The fanboyism here never disappoints. I've been on the Apple train since the mid 90s.  Let's call a spade a spade though, Apple dictating to you what can and cannot be on your iPhone is authoritarianism run amok.  Today they are not banning things you care about, but what about when they do?  It is going to happen.  What ground will you have to stand on then?  We would have never tolerated this heavy handedness in the 90s or even early 2000s.  We should not tolerate it today.  Governments and corporations, run by western oligarchs, are out of control censoring to maintain their control, rule, and profits.  People across the political spectrum should be very alarmed by this.  It is very  bad for the people.

    To the sky is falling fear mongers about security, question, is the Mac so unsafe to use? Do you really want to make that argument? I am arguing for the exact same security model that keeps the Mac safe be applied to iOS and iPadOS.  There really is no excuse not to do so other than power and money.  If you're opposed to it you have to concede the Mac is unsafe.  It is sick to watch so many 'progressives' defend a large corporations' profits and power. 

    As someone who looks at the big picture of money, control, and power (and has protested against real world problems like human exploitation by corporations and governments) my biggest fear these days certainly isn't with Apple locking down their devices (as they've always done). My biggest fear is the corporations and large organizations who have the money and motivation to manipulate public viewpoints via social media for their own personal gain/power.

    And I believe that's exactly what's happening here. The big shift to companies profiting from information (i.e. all the investment in AI) has those companies looking to profit from knowing everything you're doing. And knowing what people do on their iPhones all day would be hugely lucrative. So much so that, investing in targeted social media campaigns trying to convince people that Apple is limiting their personal freedom (advancing their true agenda, which is to force Apple to remove privacy controls) would certainly be worth it.

    The reality is that people are free to buy a different phone, just as they were free to buy a PC instead of a Mac before mobile phones were mainstream. Nothing has changed in that regard. The only thing that's changed now is, with the vast majority of people having always connected/always on devices in their pocket, the ability to know everything people do and get inside their heads for personal gain/power is a temptation many big companies (and governments) can't resist.
    edited March 6 watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 17
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,728member
    To the sky is falling fear mongers about security, question, is the Mac so unsafe to use? Do you really want to make that argument?
    Apple has introduced a number of security measures on Mac too, like forcing apps to be notarized by Apple (checked every time they're run), which I've seen a number of developers complain about the exact same way you are because they now have to pay for an Apple developer account to notarize their apps. Same story: big, bad Apple is trying to profit from selling developer accounts.

    And yes, using a Mac is a bit concerning these days. For example, I dabble in electronic music production using a couple of apps (Ableton Live, Serum, etc). When I was browsing Reddit in Safari the other day, suddenly I got a recommendation to join the Ableton and Serum discussion groups. Somehow Reddit was getting information about what I'm doing in other apps, and now it's left me wondering what other information they're able to get ahold of. I'd imagine there are a lot more information siphoning loopholes to exploit on macOS due to most apps not being sandboxed from each other the way they are on iOS.
    edited March 6 watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 17
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,728member
    libertymatters said:
    It is sick to watch so many 'progressives' defend a large corporations' profits and power. 
    Last point: what's sick is to see people call themselves "libertarians" and who would be vehemently opposed to any sort of personal monitoring done by governments (ala 1984), yet who seem to have no issues with the exact same personal monitoring being done by corporations on your phone without your consent.
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 17
    longfanglongfang Posts: 459member
    libertymatters said:
    The fanboyism here never disappoints. I've been on the Apple train since the mid 90s.  Let's call a spade a spade though, Apple dictating to you what can and cannot be on your iPhone is authoritarianism run amok.  Today they are not banning things you care about, but what about when they do?  It is going to happen.  What ground will you have to stand on then?  We would have never tolerated this heavy handedness in the 90s or even early 2000s.  We should not tolerate it today.  Governments and corporations, run by western oligarchs, are out of control censoring to maintain their control, rule, and profits.  People across the political spectrum should be very alarmed by this.  It is very  bad for the people.

    To the sky is falling fear mongers about security, question, is the Mac so unsafe to use? Do you really want to make that argument? I am arguing for the exact same security model that keeps the Mac safe be applied to iOS and iPadOS.  There really is no excuse not to do so other than power and money.  If you're opposed to it you have to concede the Mac is unsafe.  It is sick to watch so many 'progressives' defend a large corporations' profits and power. 
    So why are you still here? If iOS is so onerous then go to another platform, unless you’re just here to criticize Apple no matter what the circumstance is.
    williamlondonpaisleydiscodanoxBart Ywatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 17
    omasouomasou Posts: 576member
    A maze of red tape to make it prohibitive.  An alternative app store on macOS requires no interaction or input from Apple at all.  An example is MacPorts.  The real answer here is customers demanding app freedom on iOS and iPadOS from Apple and voting with their dollars if Apple doesn't deliver.  The same app freedoms should exist on iOS/iPadOS as has existed on macOS since 1984: 'sideloading' allowed.  The very term 'sideloading' is itself a loaded term that presumes an authority that Apple doesn't have, control of YOUR device.  It is your device not Apple's.  You should be able to load on it whatever app you darn well please.   That is still true on the Mac.  It should be true for iPhones too.
    What customers are demanding app freedom? The only one's that care are the greedy app publishers.

    People seem to forget past development costs.
    • Developer accounts were way more than $99.
    • Documentation was in the form of expensive books
    • Distribution required duplicating discs, then CDs and today web sites, etc.
    • Advertising is never cheap
    Today...

    • Developer accounts are relatively inexpensive at $99
    • Documentation is free.
    • Distribution & Advertising
    • Yes, today you can stand up a web site, not free.
    • Yes, you can use an alternative app store, also not free.
    • Oh, you plan to use social media to advertise...good luck only works, if people know you exist.
     Hopefully, we'll see a migration of a lot of the junk apps to these other stores. It will only server to improve the value of Apple's app store search.
    edited March 7 watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 17
    croprcropr Posts: 1,126member
    omasou said:
    A maze of red tape to make it prohibitive.  An alternative app store on macOS requires no interaction or input from Apple at all.  An example is MacPorts.  The real answer here is customers demanding app freedom on iOS and iPadOS from Apple and voting with their dollars if Apple doesn't deliver.  The same app freedoms should exist on iOS/iPadOS as has existed on macOS since 1984: 'sideloading' allowed.  The very term 'sideloading' is itself a loaded term that presumes an authority that Apple doesn't have, control of YOUR device.  It is your device not Apple's.  You should be able to load on it whatever app you darn well please.   That is still true on the Mac.  It should be true for iPhones too.
    What customers are demanding app freedom? The only one's that care are the greedy app publishers.

    People seem to forget past development costs.
    • Developer accounts were way more than $99.
    • Documentation was in the form of expensive books
    • Distribution required duplicating discs, then CDs and today web sites, etc.
    • Advertising is never cheap
    Today...

    • Developer accounts are relatively inexpensive at $99
    • Documentation is free.
    • Distribution & Advertising
    • Yes, today you can stand up a web site, not free.
    • Yes, you can use an alternative app store, also not free.
    • Oh, you plan to use social media to advertise...good luck only works, if people know you exist.
     Hopefully, we'll see a migration of a lot of the junk apps to these other stores. It will only server to improve the value of Apple's app store search.
    I started to develop for iOS in 2011.  I have deloped 7 iOS apps, with only 1 app still active.  

    When the App Store was launched in 2008, I was a developer of some Linux applications.  At that time:
    • Online downloading was already the main method of distributing software.  In fact I never produced a CD.   My Linux applications could be downloaded from my website.
    • The hosting of my website costed 39 Euro a year, not really expensive 
    • Documentation was online and free, the concept of developer accounts simply did not exists for Linux
    • I had to do my advertising myself, like I am doing my advertising for my iOS apps myself.  A survey with my customers of my active iOS app has revealed that my customers found my app because of my marketing actions, not because my app was listed among the millions of other iOS app in the App Store.
    • My website (my preferred store for all my software) is free of junk apps, something you cannot say of the Apple App Store
    From the perpective of a developer the App Store experience is below par. Managing my app is overcomplicated and it is easier to find my iOS app via a Google search than via the App Store search function.  And that says it all

    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 17 of 17
    omasouomasou Posts: 576member
    cropr said:
    omasou said:
    A maze of red tape to make it prohibitive.  An alternative app store on macOS requires no interaction or input from Apple at all.  An example is MacPorts.  The real answer here is customers demanding app freedom on iOS and iPadOS from Apple and voting with their dollars if Apple doesn't deliver.  The same app freedoms should exist on iOS/iPadOS as has existed on macOS since 1984: 'sideloading' allowed.  The very term 'sideloading' is itself a loaded term that presumes an authority that Apple doesn't have, control of YOUR device.  It is your device not Apple's.  You should be able to load on it whatever app you darn well please.   That is still true on the Mac.  It should be true for iPhones too.
    What customers are demanding app freedom? The only one's that care are the greedy app publishers.

    People seem to forget past development costs.
    • Developer accounts were way more than $99.
    • Documentation was in the form of expensive books
    • Distribution required duplicating discs, then CDs and today web sites, etc.
    • Advertising is never cheap
    Today...

    • Developer accounts are relatively inexpensive at $99
    • Documentation is free.
    • Distribution & Advertising
    • Yes, today you can stand up a web site, not free.
    • Yes, you can use an alternative app store, also not free.
    • Oh, you plan to use social media to advertise...good luck only works, if people know you exist.
     Hopefully, we'll see a migration of a lot of the junk apps to these other stores. It will only server to improve the value of Apple's app store search.
    I started to develop for iOS in 2011.  I have deloped 7 iOS apps, with only 1 app still active.  

    When the App Store was launched in 2008, I was a developer of some Linux applications.  At that time:
    • Online downloading was already the main method of distributing software.  In fact I never produced a CD.   My Linux applications could be downloaded from my website.
    • The hosting of my website costed 39 Euro a year, not really expensive 
    • Documentation was online and free, the concept of developer accounts simply did not exists for Linux
    • I had to do my advertising myself, like I am doing my advertising for my iOS apps myself.  A survey with my customers of my active iOS app has revealed that my customers found my app because of my marketing actions, not because my app was listed among the millions of other iOS app in the App Store.
    • My website (my preferred store for all my software) is free of junk apps, something you cannot say of the Apple App Store
    From the perpective of a developer the App Store experience is below par. Managing my app is overcomplicated and it is easier to find my iOS app via a Google search than via the App Store search function.  And that says it all

    Yes, you could get a cheesy website for very little but not a professional ecommerce web site.
    Inside Macintosh was never free and all 5 volumes cost a small fortune.

    Trying to compare Linux development to developing a Mac application with real development and testing is comparing Apple to Oranges. Not anywhere near the same thing.
    edited March 22
Sign In or Register to comment.