Apple will start allowing third-party app stores in European Union (EU) countries starting this March. With this, users can also make payments outside the Apple ecosystem at a cheaper price. However, Apple has confirmed that this third-party application store will only be provided in the EU market only with no plans to offer it to other markets.
According to Apple, this is because the installation of applications outside the Apple Store ecosystem poses the risk of malware, fraud and content that has been seen as inappropriate to be offered to users. Apple only allows third-party stores in the EU to meet the Digital Markets Act (DMA) requirements that all technology companies must comply with.
As a security measure, Apple will charge a Core Technology Fee of €0.50 for each app installation to cover the cost of screening to ensure it is safely offered to users on third-party stores.
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APPS & GAMES