After much anticipation, Apple has added support for alternative App Markets on iPhone devices with the iOS 17.4 update. However, it has now released a support document explaining the nuances of eligibility for the feature. In a surprising move, the Cupertino-based tech giant said it may stop entering the market if users do not travel outside European Union (EU) countries for an extended period of time. Pre-installed apps will also not be updated as long as the user does not return to the EU.
Under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into effect on March 6, Apple now allows users to download third-party markets on iPhone and install apps through them. The apps don’t have to pay any listing fees or use the tech giant’s payment processing systems and pay extra for doing so. However, it also published a lengthy article highlighting the eligibility criteria for users to use the feature, as well as factors that may prevent it from working.
According to the guidelines issued by the iPhone manufacturer, the country or region of the user’s Apple ID must be set to one of the EU countries or regions. Additionally, the user must be physically located in the area. The company will monitor whether both criteria are met through on-device processing and claims it will not collect the device’s location. If users leave the EU for an extended period, they will lose access to certain features, including the ability to install new alternative markets and update pre-installed third-party apps. However, these applications will continue to run. The tech giant also added that it would offer a grace period to users traveling short-term outside Europe, although it did not define what constitutes short-term and long-term travel.
The post also highlights the list of countries and regions that are eligible to enter the alternative app market. These countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia , Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
In addition, Apple said it will not provide customer support if users encounter problems in the alternative app market. The company also does not address concerns about privacy and security, including scams, fraud, and abuse. It’s worth noting that at the time of writing, there is no third-party app marketplace for iOS.