iPad and iPhone users in the European Union can now download apps from other app stores, and I’ve got mixed feelings. One part of me is thrilled—topple the monopolies! Another part of me, the part that likes convenience, can’t help but think about the ways multiple app stores will complicate my life.
Single App Stores Are Falling Out of Fashion
Ever since the earliest iPhones were released, there has only been one official way to get apps on Apple devices, and that is through the App Store. That’s the way it was, and if you didn’t like it, too bad. Switch to Android.
But recently, there’s been a shake-up to the status quo, and now, in the European Union (EU), you can get your apps from third-party alternatives like AltStore Pal, SetApp Mobile, and the Epic Games Store.
The reason for this switch-up is a new piece of legislation called the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA targets big tech corporations or “gatekeepers” as it calls them, and imposes strict requirements on them to prevent anticompetitive behavior. Apple is one such gatekeeper, and the regulations force it to allow users to install third-party app stores.
In the United States (US), the App Store is still king, but its reign here may also be coming to an end. We saw inklings of it earlier in the Epic v Apple case, and now with the new Department of Justice case against Apple. It might only be a matter of time before the US takes a page out of the EU’s playbook.
More Competition Is Good
Objectively speaking, more app stores are a good thing. It means that we don’t have to roll over and accept Apple’s restrictive policies on things like JITs and emulators. Instead, we can easily get around it by downloading the apps and retro emulators we want from a different app store.
More app stores might also make in-app purchases cheaper. Apple currently takes a 30% commission on all in-app purchases, and this cost is passed on to you, the end user. Multiple app stores could mean increased competition, lower fees, and cheaper in-app purchases.
Multiple App Stores Could Spell the End of Simplicity
But even with all the potential benefits of multiple app stores, I can’t help but worry that if they become a reality, they’re going to make things unnecessarily complicated. Sure, the App Store is a monopoly, but it’s also a convenient one-stop shop for all my apps. It’s simple, and it works. That’s why I like it.
Introducing multiple app stores throws this simplicity out the window. If my fears come to pass, each store will have its own rules, meaning some apps might be available in one store but not in another.
Then there’s the exclusivity issue. Developers like Epic, who have their own app stores, can make their apps exclusive, forcing you to download their store just to access those apps. And this isn’t just a hypothetical, it’s already happening.
In the EU, Rocket Sideswipe, a game from Epic, was pulled from the App Store and is now only available through the Epic Game Store and the Alt Pal Store. Given Epic’s ongoing feud with Apple, this is likely just the beginning.
All the navigating to find which store has which app might be a minor inconvenience to you, but imagine how frustrating it would be for someone less tech-savvy. Imagine trying to walk them through the process of installing an exclusive app like Rocket Sideswipe over the phone. Just thinking about it feels exhausting.
Multiple App Stores Could Be Worse for Security
One of Apple’s main arguments against alternative app stores on iOS was that it would weaken security. And while I hate to agree with Apple’s restrictive policies on principle, I have to admit—they have a point.
I’ve lost count of how many times my family members with Android phones have accidentally downloaded malware, scam apps, or other junk from the internet. That’s why I prefer my family use iPhones, even with all their rules, because that way I don’t have to worry about them falling for such stuff.
However, if sideloading third-party app stores becomes a thing, that layer of protection is gone, and so is my peace of mind.
I really want to love the idea of decentralized app stores, but right now, I just don’t see how it could work without us losing in some way. Maybe things would be different if the big tech companies were willing to cooperate, but given how hostile they’ve been toward each other of late, I wouldn’t hold out hope of that happening anytime soon.
