On March 7, the Digital Markets Act came into effect with major changes for your iPhone. But what good does it really do us a week later?
1 week after the Digital Markets Act: what good does it do for us?
It was discussed for a long time, but on March 7 the Digital Markets Act finally came into effect: a series of new rules that should prevent large tech companies within the European Union from abusing their power.
Of all the tech companies designated as ‘gatekeepers’ by the European Commission, Apple was able to work the fastest. The always so closed iOS had to be opened up to offer users more freedom.
Apple rolled out iOS 17.4 well before the deadline, which has introduced a lot of changes, but the company is also still actively tinkering. Apple will certainly comply with the new law, but will absolutely not take any unnecessary extra steps.
Alternative app stores are not popping up en masse
You now have the option to download apps from alternative app stores. This is where Apple is still tinkering the most. For example, a week ago app stores were only allowed to offer their own apps if apps from other parties were also on the shelves. These app stores are now also only allowed to offer their own apps. From the spring, there will also be the option to download apps via websites.
It’s just not happening yet. App stores must comply with very specific rules, which is why they are not yet appearing en masse. The first will be Mobivention’s app store. However, the focus of this store is on companies that want to offer apps to their employees, so it is not that relevant for most people. Macpaw is also working on an alternative app store, but that won’t be released until April.
It will be really interesting when the Epic Games Store comes to iOS, so that you can play Fortnite, among other things. More app stores will follow later.
Browser choice makes iPhone more complicated
Although web browsers in addition to Safari finally no longer have to run on WebKit and can therefore be completely themselves with all the functions that come with it, you do not notice this in practice. The makers of these browsers still have to work until they can roll out completely new versions of their iOS browser. That could take months.
However, using an iPhone has become a bit more cumbersome, because you now have to choose a standard browser. Although it is good in theory that you as a user are given that choice, in practice it is incomprehensible for many people when they are presented with a list of browser names.
Opened NFC chip not yet used
Another big change is that the NFC chip has been opened to other parties, so that not all payments have to be made via Apple Pay. Banks can choose to no longer support Apple Pay, which would be bad news for users.
This has not yet happened and it is not likely that the big banks will do it in the short term.
So far it hasn’t been of much use to you, but could something really happen soon regarding the Digital Markets Act that would be of use to you? Then of course you read it on iPhoned. Want to always stay informed of the latest Apple news? Then keep an eye on the website and download our free iPhoned app. You can also register for our newsletter.