Apple has announced that it will be possible to install apps on the iPhone without an (alternative) App Store. Here’s what you need to know about the latest changes.
Even more changes on the iPhone
Big changes came to your iPhone last week, as Apple released iOS 17.4. Perhaps the most important change in the update is the allowing of alternative app stores. Where previously only Apple’s App Store was allowed on the iPhone, third parties are now also allowed to launch an online store. This is the result of the new European legislation.
Also read: These are the first (announced) alternative app stores in iOS 17.4
Since iOS 17.4, apps that are not in Apple’s App Store are also allowed. It is expected that the first alternative app stores will appear soon. Now Apple has made even more changes, making it possible to install apps via a website. So you no longer need the App Store on your iPhone to download an application.
Download apps from websites
Good news for developers who do not want to be dependent on an online store, because from now on they can also offer their apps on their own website. This is not without conditions, because developers must have been a member of it for at least two years Apple Developer Program to offer apps via their own website. That’s not all, because the app itself must have been downloaded at least a million times within the European Union.
In addition, developers are only allowed to offer their own apps on their website. These rules are unfavorable for small developers who want to launch a new app on the market. Due to the conditions, they will most likely remain dependent on the App Store on the iPhone, unless they develop their own online store. But Apple has also announced new rules for alternative app stores.
More rules for alternative app stores on iPhone
Until now, developers of new app stores for the iPhone were obliged to also offer applications from other parties. Apple has adjusted those rules, allowing alternative app stores to also refuse third-party applications. For example, large companies such as Epic Games (known for Fortnite) and Meta can now also choose to only sell their own apps in their online stores. This also doesn’t seem like good news for small developers.
Also read: Please note: this iOS 17.4 feature does not work if you are traveling outside the EU
The new rules for alternative app stores take effect immediately. You will have to wait a little longer to download apps without the App Store on your iPhone, because that will not be possible until the spring. It is still unclear whether Apple controls the apps offered on websites, or whether the company only sends guidelines to developers. The question is what these new changes do for the security of the iPhone.
Apple will probably add the ability to install apps without the App Store on the iPhone to iOS 17.5. That’s the next big update for the iPhone. Do you want to know what exactly has changed in iOS 17.4? Read here what’s new in iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4!
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