The App Store is no longer alone: in March 2024, the Digital Markets Act will come into effect, an initiative by the European Union aimed at regulating competition and consumer protection in online services. As a result, after many years during which Apple managed to keep its devices shielded from external app stores - claiming that they would compromise users' security and personal data usage - it seems that its exclusivity will diminish and fade away.
At the end of 2020, the European Commission introduced a proposed legislation aimed at ensuring the existence of a fair and equitable digital market, as well as protecting the rights and interests of businesses that rely on dominant commercial platforms to distribute their products or services. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) proposal is designed to address the economic challenges posed by high concentration in the field of dominant online platforms and markets. Its goal is to broaden the options available to users and prevent those "gatekeepers" from controlling and shaping the market in an unfair manner.
The first contestant: SetApp
SetApp is a company specializing in Apple products, offering a monthly subscription for a variety of premium features in different applications on the App Store. However, the company is now taking its services to the next level.
In the past week, the company announced that it plans to launch an external iOS app store that will compete with the App Store for users' preference, coinciding with the enactment of the law in Europe.
In a statement published to the press, SetApp called on additional developers to come and join them in order to create significant force against Apple. They also claimed to have already recruited 30 partners who will offer their applications in the future store upon its launch.