iPadOS 18, which Apple will release on Monday, September 16, alongside iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia will
allow iPad users in the EU to install alternative app stores such as the Epic Games Store. iPadOS 18 will also allow developers of web browsers to use alternative browser engines than Apple’s Safari.
Apple previously implemented these same changes for iOS users in the EU with the
release of iOS 17.4 in March. The company had to make changes to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, a new set of rules for large online platforms that the EU Commission designated as “gatekeepers.”
Following an in-depth investigation of Apple’s tablet OS, the EU regulator said in April that iPadOS should also be considered as a “gatekeeper” that needs to be regulated under the DMA. The EU Commission
gave Apple six months to make iPadOS compliant with the DMA, and this will finally happen with the release of iPadOS 18 on Monday.
As of today, there are just a handful of alternative app stores for iOS users in the EU, including the
Epic Games Store and
AltStore PAL. Apps distributed on alternative app stores still need to go through a “notarization” process to ensure that they’re safe to use.
Moreover, developers who want to distribute their apps outside of the App Store need to adopt Apple’s Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU. Under those terms, they must pay Apple a controversial Core Technology Fee (CTF) of €0.50 for each first annual install after their apps cross one million downloads.
Again, these changes to the App Store will only apply to iPadOS users in the EU. iPadOS 18 will also bring some pretty big changes to Apple’s tablet OS, including the ability to place apps and widgets anywhere on the Home Screen, a more customizable redesigned Control Center, and a new standalone Passwords app to sync passwords across Apple devices and Windows PCs.
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