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

January 25, 2024

PRESS RELEASE

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

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

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

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple right now 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 embody 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 cut back — however don’t get rid of — new dangers the DMA poses to EU customers. With these steps, Apple will proceed to ship the very best, most safe expertise potential 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 potential for customers within the EU. Even with these safeguards in place, many dangers stay.

Builders can find out about these modifications on the Apple Developer Help web page and may start testing new capabilities right now within the iOS 17.4 beta. The brand new capabilities will turn into out there to customers within the 27 EU nations starting in March 2024.

“The modifications we’re asserting right now 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 potential expertise for our customers within the EU and around the globe,” stated Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow. “Builders can now be taught in regards to 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 now if they like.”

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

Out there for builders’ apps around the globe, Apple additionally introduced new choices for streaming video games, together with greater than 50 forthcoming experiences in areas like engagement, commerce, app utilization, and extra.

Adjustments to iOS

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

• 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 further requests for interoperability with iPhone and iOS {hardware} and software program options.

As introduced by the European Fee, Apple can 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 an alternate 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 get rid of these dangers, however inside the DMA’s constraints, the corporate will take steps to cut back them. These safeguards might be in place when customers obtain iOS 17.4 or later, starting in March, and embody:

• 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 includes a mixture of automated checks and human evaluation. 

• App set up sheets — that use info from the Notarization course of to supply 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.

• Further malware protections — that stop iOS apps from launching in the event that they’re discovered to include malware after being put in to a person’s system.

These protections — together with Notarization for iOS apps, and authorization for market builders — assist cut 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 capability 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 person expertise, together with impacts to system efficiency and battery life.

Inside the DMA’s constraints, Apple is dedicated to defending the privateness, safety, and high quality of the iOS person expertise within the EU as a lot as potential. As an example, App Monitoring Transparency will proceed to work with apps distributed outdoors of the App Retailer — asking a person’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 — is not going to be suitable with apps downloaded from outdoors 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 finest practices for shielding their privateness and safety.

Adjustments to Safari

At present, iOS customers have already got the flexibility to set a third-party net browser — apart from Safari — as their default. Reflecting the DMA’s necessities, Apple can be introducing a brand new selection display screen that can 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 alteration is a results of the DMA’s necessities, and signifies that EU customers might 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 variety of modifications for builders with apps within the EU, affecting apps throughout Apple’s working methods — together with iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. The modifications additionally embody 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 embody:

• 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 through link-out — the place customers can full a transaction for digital items and companies on the developer’s exterior web site. Builders may inform EU customers of promotions, reductions, and different offers out there outdoors 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 embody 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.