Apple announces important changes to App Store policies, giving developers more flexibility in distributing apps in the European Union (EU). By accepting changes to the alternative terms for EU apps, developers have access to new distribution options, including alternative app stores and the ability to direct users to external web pages to purchase digital goods and services.
One notable introduction is the ability for developers to distribute iOS apps directly from their websites, a feature available with a software update this spring.
Here are the decisions made by Apple:
- Alternative application markets. Marketplaces may choose to offer a catalog of apps exclusively from the marketplace developer.
- Login to purchase. When directing users to complete a transaction for digital goods or services on an external web page, developers can choose how to create promotions, discounts, and other offers. Design templates provided by Apple, which are optimized for key purchases and promotional use cases, are now optional.
- Web distribution, available with a software update later this spring, will allow authorized developers to distribute their iOS apps to users in the EU directly from a developer-owned website. Apple will give authorized developers access to APIs that make it easy to distribute their apps over the web, integrate with system functionality, back up and restore users' apps, and more.
