If everything goes as those responsible expect, Setapp will become the first alternative store in 2024 that will allow official downloading of applications and games on the iPhone and iPad.
The company, which until now focused on selling access to various Mac applications in exchange for a fixed monthly subscription of 9.99 euros, wants to get ahead of the rest of the competition and take advantage of the opportunity opened by the new Law on Digital Markets of the European Union, which will force Google and Apple to allow alternative app stores on their devices.
Google already did it, but not Apple, which forces all applications and games on its mobile devices and tablets to be distributed through its store, the AppStore. Apple charges for doing so a commission of between 15% and 30% depending on the volume of business of the developer and the type of transaction.
This fee is largely responsible for Apple’s surprising revenue growth in the services category, but the company argues that the obligation to use the AppStore as a distribution channel exists as a security guarantee.
The only alternative, until now, was to exploit security vulnerabilities in the device to allow the execution of apps from unofficial sources (commonly called jailbreak), use the privileges of developer accounts (which allow uploading to the device an app independently, although with serious limitations), or use a web application.
Apple would already be preparing for these changes. According to a Bloomberg report, which cites internal company sources, the company’s engineering team will incorporate the necessary changes to allow these types of third-party stores in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, the new version of the company’s operating system. , which will officially arrive in the fall of this year.
Although Setapp has not yet explained how its new store will work, the company’s website already offers the possibility of signing up for a waiting list to receive information about the launch.
It will not be the only company interested in entering this space. In recent years, Apple has frustrated or complicated the plans of many companies due to the structure it uses in the AppStore. Microsoft, for example, has been unable to create a native app for its Xbox Cloud cloud gaming service because Apple would view it as an alternative game store.
Epic, creator of the popular game Fortnite, also tried to break some of the AppStore rules to avoid paying commissions. Apple withdrew the game from its platforms and both companies began a complex legal process that, for now, seems to be giving the apple company the reason.
The Digital Markets Law, however, would only have a place in Europe. That means that Setapp and other similar stores may only be available to users in that region. Other countries, however, are considering similar laws to try to break the company’s control over app distribution.
