Apple to phase out apps on iPhones in attempt to comply with DMA
Jan Penfrat, Senior Policy Advisor, EDRi
In a move to comply with the EU’s sweeping new tech law, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), iPhone maker Apple announced it will stop allowing its users in the EU to install apps on their devices.
“With the Digital Markets Act the EU obliges us to allow third party app stores to shovel their malware onto people’s phones, and we won’t have that,” an Apple spokesperson said on Friday. “We have therefore decided to phase out the App Store itself in order to protect our users.”
The move has sparked outrage among independent app developers and digital rights advocates alike, who rejected the notion that non-Apple apps and app stores are inherently less secure. But Apple appears to remain unimpressed: “Any app from a developer that isn’t us carries an immense risk for our users’ security and privacy, and for the integrity of the iOS platform,” said the company in a statement. “Once the AppStore is shut down, it will no longer fall into the scope of the DMA and will not have to follow its most problematic requirements.”
In order to maintain functionality of third-party apps people currently use, like WhatsApp or Super Mario Cart, Apple announced it would use its US$167 billion in cash to buy competitors and companies building missing functionality directly into its iOS platform.
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