Il Digital Markets Act continues to change the way Apple operates, at least in the countriesEuropean Union. The release of iOS 17.4 has already opened the doors to alternative marketplaces, but today a new important update has arrived regarding the distribution of apps.
The Cupertino giant has recently announced that, among other things, developers will be able to allow the download of their applications also from websites. This option is called “Web Distribution” and will be made available in the coming months via an iPhone operating system upgrade.
This means that starting from this primavera, developers will be able to direct users to a specific web page to download applications, provided they meet Apple’s specific criteria. Among these are being a member of the Apple Developer Program for at least two consecutive years and have an app with more than a million first installs on iOS (in the EU in the previous calendar year). Additionally, apps distributed in this way must meet Apple’s authentication requirements like all other iOS apps and can only be installed from a web domain registered with App Store Connect.
The authorized developers, informs the Californian giant through the press release just released, they will have access to the API to facilitate application distribution via website, integration with operating system features, and more.
But that’s not all, because to comply with the new guidelines defined by the EU, Apple has also announced other innovations that should guarantee a greater flexibility.
In particular, the two new features for developers who accept theAlternative Terms Addendum for Apps They are the following:
- Alternative Marketplaces: App stores have the ability to offer a catalog of apps created solely by the developer of the alternative marketplace.
- Purchase Link: When developers direct a user to an external website to complete a purchase, they can choose how to design promotions, discounts, and other offers.