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It was a subject of clock time , but Apple is going to allow third - party app stores on the iPadstarting next hebdomad , on September 16 . This change will happen with the next major release of iPadOS , the operating system specifically design for the iPad .
The move is related to the European Union’sDigital Markets Act(DMA ) , a set of grocery store fairness and pro - competition rule . Last fall , the Commissionshared a listof six tech companies that have been designated “ hall porter , ” as they operate so - called “ heart platform services ” ( CPS ) . It has sinceadded a seventh .
For Apple , the Commission initially denominate three product and services as CPS : its fluid operating system iOS , its app dispersion marketplace the App Store , and its web internet browser Safari . Then , in April , it announced that it was add Apple ’s iPadOS to the listing .
While iPadOS exploiter turn did not encounter the doorstep to be in scope of the DMA , the Commission has some tolerance in designations and said it considered that there are hard locked - in effects for business organization users in finicky .
Apple had six months to update iPadOS and verify that it is compliant with the DMA . Which brings us to Friday ’s announcement : Starting with iPadOS 18 , users in the EU will be capable to install alternative app stock . Similarly , web internet browser developers will be able to give up browsers for the iPad with their own internet browser engines .
pay the different DMA compliance timeline for iOS , late alteration to iOS in the EU can be an meter reading of what ’s going to happen for iPad user in the EU .
There arefive third - party app storesthat are now available for iOS in the EU . One model , theAltStore PAL , was the first alternative app market made available on iOS in the EU . you’re able to use it to download TV plot ape app Delta , virtual machine app UTM , torrenting app iTorrent , and more .
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Apps are notarize by Apple for security purpose before they can be released on alternative app stores . App developers also have tosignnew business terms with Apple — and give a controversial “ Core Technology Fee ” above a certain threshold .
Epic Games alsolaunchedits alternative iOS app computer storage in the EU so that mass can download and spiel Fortnite , Rocket League Sideswipe , and Fall Guys on their iPhones . The company has already say thatit plansto bring Fortnite and its other games to the iPad .
As for web internet browser , while third - party browsers such as Chrome and Firefox have been available for a while , they all still use Apple ’s own internet browser engine WebKit to load web depicted object . Tech company haven’ttaken vantage of the DMAto liberation an EU - specific web internet browser app for European users so far .
