3 ms·

If they ever do that they'll get a hefty fine from the EU and the order to restore such functionality or be banned from the market.

spwa4 1y ago
Why? Apple does that. You cannot install an app to IOS without both apple review and paying apple money per install. That review still enforces apple policies (famously the "no non-apple-gets-30%-payments" policy which is now ironically suspended on the US side. Ironically and temporarily)
- theandrewbailey 1y ago
  > Apple does that. You cannot install an app to IOS without both apple review and paying apple money per install Not really in the EU? https://support.apple.com/en-us/118110 https://support.apple.com/en-us/118110
  - spwa4 1y ago
    App "notarization" requires apple review, as can be read on the link you pasted. And distributing apps like that requires paying an annual per-install fee: https://developer.apple.com/support/core-technology-fee/ https://developer.apple.com/support/core-technology-fee/ So yes, IOS apps in the EU require both Apple review and a recurring per-install fee.
    - benoau 1y ago
      And, Apple was recently fined €500 million and ordered to comply with the DMA law. > The DMA requires that app developers should be able to inform customers of alternative purchasing options outside of the App Store, and direct customers to those alternative payment options, free of charge. Apple’s rules currently do not allow for this … (plus: criminal contempt referrals for "willfully" violating court order to stop doing that in the US too and lying to the judge and trying to cover it up!) > Separately, the commission has taken a preliminary view that Apple has not complied with its obligation to allow for the distribution of apps outside of the App Store, i.e. its support for third-party app marketplaces in the European Union is not good enough. The commission says developers are disincentivized from doing so due to the required agreement of alternative business terms, which includes the Core Technology Fee. It also says Apple has purposely made the process of using alternative app marketplaces too difficult and burdensome on end users. https://9to5mac.com/2025/04/23/apple-fined-500-million-euros-digital-markets-act/ https://9to5mac.com/2025/04/23/apple-fined-500-million-euros...
      - lmm 1y ago
        €500 million eh? Let's see what percentage of that they end up actually paying.
        piva00 1y ago
        According to Proton's tracker, the fines are paid in full and in a few days [0]. [0] https://proton.me/tech-fines-tracker https://proton.me/tech-fines-tracker
    - threeseed 1y ago
      a) Notarization is an automated process to check for apps that would compromise the integrity of their platform. It doesn't care about the content or type of app you're building. b) Apple is charging a fee for their SDKs similar to Unreal Engine, Square, Mapbox, Microsoft etc. Has been the standard in the industry since forever.
      - lillecarl 1y ago
        Quite naive take, you don't have to use any of your examples to deploy to Android, Windows, Linux or MacOS. It would be more like Microsoft charging a per-install fee on using the Win32 APIs which sounds outrageous. Apple is using all power-plays to keep their market controlled firmly by them, and EU doesn't like it. Having to pay 99$ per year to develop apps for your own devices that you've already purchased is also outrageous. I get that Apple is doing a good job keeping app-store safe for it's users, but it doesn't make up being so actively hostile to user freedom.
        gruez 1y ago
        >Quite naive take, you don't have to use any of your examples to deploy to Android, Windows, Linux or MacOS. It would be more like Microsoft charging a per-install fee on using the Win32 APIs which sounds outrageous. "sounds outrageous" is a pretty weak justification for regulator action. Paying for a browser probably sounds equally as outrageous, but with the way anti-trust is going with Chrome/Google, that seems like a very real possibility. Moreover, why should the government should be in the basis of regulating business models? If Apple wants to charge for access to its SDKs, and it pays the price through less apps for its users, so be it.
        lillecarl 1y ago
        Yeah sorry IANAL, the fact stands: EU thinks Apple is exploiting their market position to lock users down, EU doesn't like it and will make Apple comply. If Apple wants to be on the EU market they will have to comply with EU regulations, and if regulations are lacking regulators will regulate. Whether you suck up to Apple or the EU is your opinion. I live in EU and I'm happy to see the otherwise sparsely regulated megacorporations from USA be regulated to not exploit my fellow union citizens. Apple has also shown repeatedly that they're unwilling to comply by implementing their own shitty interpretation of our rules (ship a fucking USB-C adapter with your phone when we're demanding USB-C in the device, this markets act notarizaton and "core fee" bullshit).
- nativeit 1y ago
  Isn’t that only for App Store apps?

spwa4 1y ago

Why? Apple does that. You cannot install an app to IOS without both apple review and paying apple money per install. That review still enforces apple policies (famously the "no non-apple-gets-30%-payments" policy which is now ironically suspended on the US side. Ironically and temporarily)

theandrewbailey 1y ago
> Apple does that. You cannot install an app to IOS without both apple review and paying apple money per install Not really in the EU? https://support.apple.com/en-us/118110 https://support.apple.com/en-us/118110
- spwa4 1y ago
  App "notarization" requires apple review, as can be read on the link you pasted. And distributing apps like that requires paying an annual per-install fee: https://developer.apple.com/support/core-technology-fee/ https://developer.apple.com/support/core-technology-fee/ So yes, IOS apps in the EU require both Apple review and a recurring per-install fee.
  - benoau 1y ago
    And, Apple was recently fined €500 million and ordered to comply with the DMA law. > The DMA requires that app developers should be able to inform customers of alternative purchasing options outside of the App Store, and direct customers to those alternative payment options, free of charge. Apple’s rules currently do not allow for this … (plus: criminal contempt referrals for "willfully" violating court order to stop doing that in the US too and lying to the judge and trying to cover it up!) > Separately, the commission has taken a preliminary view that Apple has not complied with its obligation to allow for the distribution of apps outside of the App Store, i.e. its support for third-party app marketplaces in the European Union is not good enough. The commission says developers are disincentivized from doing so due to the required agreement of alternative business terms, which includes the Core Technology Fee. It also says Apple has purposely made the process of using alternative app marketplaces too difficult and burdensome on end users. https://9to5mac.com/2025/04/23/apple-fined-500-million-euros-digital-markets-act/ https://9to5mac.com/2025/04/23/apple-fined-500-million-euros...
    - lmm 1y ago
      €500 million eh? Let's see what percentage of that they end up actually paying.
      - piva00 1y ago
        According to Proton's tracker, the fines are paid in full and in a few days [0]. [0] https://proton.me/tech-fines-tracker https://proton.me/tech-fines-tracker
  - threeseed 1y ago
    a) Notarization is an automated process to check for apps that would compromise the integrity of their platform. It doesn't care about the content or type of app you're building. b) Apple is charging a fee for their SDKs similar to Unreal Engine, Square, Mapbox, Microsoft etc. Has been the standard in the industry since forever.
    - lillecarl 1y ago
      Quite naive take, you don't have to use any of your examples to deploy to Android, Windows, Linux or MacOS. It would be more like Microsoft charging a per-install fee on using the Win32 APIs which sounds outrageous. Apple is using all power-plays to keep their market controlled firmly by them, and EU doesn't like it. Having to pay 99$ per year to develop apps for your own devices that you've already purchased is also outrageous. I get that Apple is doing a good job keeping app-store safe for it's users, but it doesn't make up being so actively hostile to user freedom.
      - gruez 1y ago
        >Quite naive take, you don't have to use any of your examples to deploy to Android, Windows, Linux or MacOS. It would be more like Microsoft charging a per-install fee on using the Win32 APIs which sounds outrageous. "sounds outrageous" is a pretty weak justification for regulator action. Paying for a browser probably sounds equally as outrageous, but with the way anti-trust is going with Chrome/Google, that seems like a very real possibility. Moreover, why should the government should be in the basis of regulating business models? If Apple wants to charge for access to its SDKs, and it pays the price through less apps for its users, so be it.
        lillecarl 1y ago
        Yeah sorry IANAL, the fact stands: EU thinks Apple is exploiting their market position to lock users down, EU doesn't like it and will make Apple comply. If Apple wants to be on the EU market they will have to comply with EU regulations, and if regulations are lacking regulators will regulate. Whether you suck up to Apple or the EU is your opinion. I live in EU and I'm happy to see the otherwise sparsely regulated megacorporations from USA be regulated to not exploit my fellow union citizens. Apple has also shown repeatedly that they're unwilling to comply by implementing their own shitty interpretation of our rules (ship a fucking USB-C adapter with your phone when we're demanding USB-C in the device, this markets act notarizaton and "core fee" bullshit).
nativeit 1y ago
Isn’t that only for App Store apps?