EU Provisionally Agrees on Law That Would Force Apple to Allow Alternative App Stores, Sideloading, and iMessage Interoperability

European lawmakers have provisionally agreed upon a new law that would force Apple to allow user access to third-party app stores and permit the sideloading of apps on iPhones and iPads, among other sweeping changes designed to make the digital sector fairer and more competitive.

european parliament
The European Council and European Parliament said on Friday they had reached a political agreement on the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which will target many of the services offered by tech giants and force them to open up to other businesses.

Today's announcement focuses on services like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and iMessage, which will have to "open up and interoperate with smaller messaging platforms, if they so request," according to the EU. "Users of small or big platforms would then be able to exchange messages, send files or make video calls across messaging apps, thus giving them more choice."

Under the proposed DMA, Apple would also be forced to open up its App Store to third-party payment options instead of users having to go through Apple's own payment system – something it fought hard against in the Apple vs. Epic Games trial.

In addition, Apple would have to allow users to uninstall its Safari browser and other stock apps so that they can replace them with third-party alternatives if they so wish.

The DMA's broad scope also features several other demands that tech companies will have to abide by and which would surely impact Apple's services and platforms on multiple fronts. According to the proposed law, companies with a value of more than €75 billion ($83 billion), annual sales of €7.5 billion, and at least 45 million monthly users will meet its "gatekeeper" criteria, which comes with the following obligations and commitments.

Gatekeepers Will Have To:

  • Ensure that users have the right to unsubscribe from core platform services under similar conditions to subscription.
  • For the the most important software (e.g. web browsers), not require this software by default upon installation of the operating system.
  • Ensure the interoperability of their instant messaging services' basic functionalities.
  • Allow app developers fair access to the supplementary functionalities of smartphones (e.g. NFC chip).
  • Give sellers access to their marketing or advertising performance data on the platform.
  • Inform the European Commission of their acquisitions and mergers.

But They Can No Longer:

  • Rank their own products or services higher than those of others (self-preferencing).
  • Reuse private data collected during a service for the purposes of another service.
  • Establish unfair conditions for business users.
  • Pre-install certain software applications.
  • Require app developers to use certain services (e.g. payment systems or identity providers) in order to be listed in app stores.

According to the DMA, if a gatekeeper violates the rules laid down in the legislation, it risks a fine of up to 10% of its total global turnover. For a repeat offense, a fine of up to 20% of its global turnover may be imposed.

If a gatekeeper systematically fails to comply with the DMA (or violates the rules at least three times in eight years), the European Commission can open a market investigation and impose "behavioral or structural remedies."

The European Union has had to impose record fines over the past 10 years for certain harmful business practices by very large digital players," said Cédric O, French Minister of State with responsibility for digital. "The DMA will directly ban these practices and create a fairer and more competitive economic space for new players and European businesses. These rules are key to stimulating and unlocking digital markets, enhancing consumer choice, enabling better value sharing in the digital economy and boosting innovation. The European Union is the first to take such decisive action in this regard and I hope that others will join us soon."

The wording of the legislation has yet to be finalized, but once the language is in place, the European Parliament and the Council will need to approve it. The regulation must be implemented within six months after its entry into force. Digital competition chief Margrethe Vestager said today that she expected the DMA to come into force "sometime in October."

Should the Digital Markets Act go on to become law, Apple will have to make major changes to its ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌ platform to accommodate the requirement to allow for non-App Store apps. Apple said it was "concerned that some provisions of the DMA will create unnecessary privacy and security vulnerabilities for our users."

Apple is also facing similar legislation in the United States, with U.S. House lawmakers in June introducing antitrust bills that would result in major changes to the tech industry if passed.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

Leaker Reveals Amount of RAM in iPhone 17 Through iPhone 17 Pro Max

Wednesday July 9, 2025 8:08 am PDT by
Three out of four iPhone 17 models will feature more RAM than the equivalent iPhone 16 models, according to a new leak that aligns with previous rumors. The all-new iPhone 17 Air, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max will each be equipped with 12GB of RAM, according to Fixed Focus Digital, an account with more than two million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...

Top Rated Comments

jimbobb24 Avatar
43 months ago
Politicians running around ruining things they didn’t build and don’t understand.
Score: 89 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
43 months ago
I’m glad the uk left the EU
Score: 68 Votes (Like | Disagree)
clayj Avatar
43 months ago
Seeing as how no one actually IN the European Union makes smartphones, Apple ought to tell the EU to get bent.
Score: 63 Votes (Like | Disagree)
minimo3 Avatar
43 months ago
Pretty simple to comply on paper: on first boot allow users to pick full iOS or a custom, stripped-down Darwin kernel with no security provisions. Third parties can feel free to build their own window manager, file system, App Store, browsers, services for it. Philosophically something akin to AOSP - with great freedom comes great responsibility to build your own everything (to install apps users clone a git repo, modify the source themselves if they wish and make the binaries using gcc or clang on device for the ultimate In customizability)
Score: 48 Votes (Like | Disagree)
4jasontv Avatar
43 months ago
Paved with good intentions.
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Starscape Avatar
43 months ago
Looks like I’ll be importing a Euro-model iPad next year.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)