Due to regulatory action, Apple has agreed to allow alternative app stores, third-party payment systems for in-app purchases, and in-app links to external offers on iOS in Brazil, according to legal news website MLex and Brazilian blog Tecnoblog.
This means that iPhone users in Brazil would gain access to options beyond Apple's App Store, such as the AltStore from Riley Testut and Shane Gill.
The changes must be implemented within 105 days, so Apple has until early April to roll them out. That timeframe might align with the release of iOS 26.4.
Apple has already allowed alternative app stores and/or third-party payment systems on iOS in the EU, Japan, and South Korea, and it will likely be forced to do so in the UK and Australia too, due to similar regulations across those regions.
AltStore
Apple has opposed alternative app stores due to privacy and security concerns.
"If you prefer using apps that have met all of Apple's App Review Guidelines, including Apple's standards for privacy, security, and quality, you can use the App Store," says Apple, in a support document about alternative app distribution.
In February, Apple notified the European Commission that it would be acquiring certain assets from and have the right to hire certain employees from Rabbit 3 Times, the company behind the award-winning app design tool Play. The notification was published on the European Commission's website this week, following a four-month waiting period.
Play was a Mac and iPhone app that allowed designers ...
The U.K.'s competition regulator has proposed letting app developers direct users to payment options outside Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store, in a move aimed at increasing competition and reducing the fees charged by the two companies.
As reported by Reuters, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the proposals would remove restrictions that currently prevent U.K....
The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear Apple's appeal against the contempt ruling that forced it to change its App Store linking rules, reports Reuters.
In a statement to MacRumors, Apple said the court's decision was welcome news.
This is an important question of law and we are pleased the Supreme Court will hear our case.
Apple asked the Supreme Court to review the decision...
Apple has opposed alternative app stores due to privacy and security concerns.
"If you prefer using apps that have met all of Apple's App Review Guidelines, including Apple's standards for privacy, security, and quality, you can use the App Store," says Apple, in a support document ('https://support.apple.com/en-us/117767') about alternative app distribution.
Is this the same Apple that allowed these apps onto their App Store? Asking for a friend.
Why so hard for everyone to respect other countries laws and regulations?. If you want choice, dint install 3rd party stores. For me, Apple is long due to opening NFC and allowing consumers to decide how to use our paid devices!. Apple is not our nanny.
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a ~5.5-inch outer display and a ~7.8-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.
AltStore
