this post was submitted on 25 Jan 2024
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129
Apple announces support for alternative app marketplaces, web browser engines in the EU with iOS 17.4 (www.macstories.net)
submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by [email protected] to c/technology
39 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Updated the link to a better source that gives a more detailed overview.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 9 months ago (4 children)

So, the .5 per annual install for alternative marketplaces seems to be the stop gap, right? A popular FOSS store like f-droid would have to cough up thousands of Euros.

Would it be possible to sell an alternative marketplace for 1 Euro on the app store, pay Apple's purchase commission and use the rest for the annual install fee?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 9 months ago

Apple may think they're complying with the letter of the law but I suspect the EU will feel they're falling far far short of the moral of the law.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

They are also apparently requiring a €1,000,000 letter of credit for alternative app stores devs.

https://9to5mac.com/2024/01/25/apple-says-third-party-app-marketplace-creators-must-have-e1000000-letter-of-credit/

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 months ago

Oh, so THAT is the real stop sign they put in front of FOSS marketplaces. Thanks for the link!

[–] abhibeckert 2 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

A popular FOSS store like f-droid would have to cough up thousands of Euros.

They're probably not big enough. This only applies to apps that are on 2% of all iPhones in the EU. It also doesn't apply to non-profits. If f-droid is that big, they probably should be a non-profit.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

That fee also applies to apps published on the app store.

If I understand correctly it only affects apps with more than 1 million annual downloads. I also don't think it applies to marketplaces, only apps. So if fdroid had a marketplace, the devs would pay that fee and not fdroid.

https://developer.apple.com/support/core-technology-fee/