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Want the TL;DR version?
Apple’s App Store and iPhone apps have remained largely unchanged since they arrived back in 2008.
And that’s just the start of some very significant changes for iOS and the App Store.
What does all of this mean for the iPhone and your favorite apps?
Will Apple be bringing these changes to other regions?
And does it really make iOS less secure?
Apple clearly isn’t happy about the changes it’s been forced to make.
Of course, no one will be forced to use non-Apple app stores or sideload apps.
Those EU-specific changes will only be available in the region’s27 member countries, which doesn’t include the UK.
So if you live in the US, UK, or Australia, nothing has changed for now.
However, a similar bill to the EU’s Digital Markets Act iscurrently moving through UK parliament.
It instead calls the incoming third-party app stores “alternative app marketplaces”.
That’s big news because previously you could only access these on iOS via a web online window.
The news opens the gates to services likeXbox Cloud Gaming,GeForce NowandAmazon Lunabecoming available on your iPhone.
In theory, that’s good news all around for iPhone web browsing.
In other words, don’t expect to see apps become drastically cheaper or change wildly overnight.
Right now, only Apple Pay and its Wallet app can use NFC for payments on the iPhone.
But from iOS 17.4 in March, there’ll be other tap-to-pay options in the EU, at least.
This is one where it may be best to watch from the outside.
