Setapp, a Mac software subscription service operated by the Ukrainian company Macpaw, declare It plans to launch an alternative App Store for iOS in 2024.
A new EU law on digital markets came into effect in May of this year, and next year the strict rules for the so-called gatekeepers, which include Apple, Google, Microsoft and Meta, will come into full force. The law is expected to make the biggest difference on Apple’s iOS mobile platform, where the company currently has a monopoly on app distribution via the App Store.
Apple has not yet revealed what the company will do to comply with the law, but analysts expect that there is no other way out than to open iOS to install apps from sources other than the App Store, such as other app stores.
In the past, both Meta and Microsoft have expressed interest in distributing iOS apps outside of the App Store. Meta wants to do this directly via advertising on Facebook and Instagram. Microsoft didn’t go into further details, but the company was previously prevented from releasing the iOS version of Xbox Cloud Gaming through the App Store as Apple required approval for each game to be included in the subscription service.
Developers are already in place
Setapp appears to be expecting to open up iOS in the region, saying that more than 30 developers are already attached to the project. Interested developers can also register their interest on the company’s website.
Already today, Setapp has some support for IOS. Some apps included in the service can be activated via Setapp instead of Apple’s in-app purchases, which Apple allows in the same way those who subscribe to, say, Netflix allow you to log into the IOS app.
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