iOS Adaptation Faces EU Legislation Implications While iPad Remains Unaltered: Apple Sets the Record Straight

There are some additional details to consider from Apple’s announcement regarding changes in the App Store, iOS, and Safari to comply with the European Union’s DMA regulations. These changes include the ability to download apps from other stores and use non-WebKit engines in browsers. These changes will affect all Apple platforms (in the European Union). However, some changes will only apply to the iPhone, and not the iPad.

The reason behind this difference is that the European Union specified which platforms fall under the category of gatekeepers. These platforms must be large companies with a significant user base and a strong ability to prevent competition. Apple’s operating system that falls under this category is iOS for the iPhone, while iPadOS is not considered a gatekeeper yet.

However, the EU considers Apple’s App Store as a gatekeeper in its central platform. This means that regardless of whether it is in iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, or tvOS, the App Store must comply with all DMA regulations. This has led to Apple making changes specifically related to the App Store across all platforms. Changes that are not related to the App Store will only affect iOS on the iPhone. Here are the details:

– Downloading and installing apps from external stores is only possible on the iPhone.
– Caution: New default web browser options in Safari only apply to the iPhone.
– Using non-WebKit engines, other than WebKit, is only possible on the iPhone (Mozilla may understand this better).
– NFC settings for other wallet apps for payments are only available on the iPhone.
– Alternative payment methods on the App Store can be used on all Apple platforms.
– Streaming game apps can be accessed on all Apple platforms.

TLDR: Apple has made changes across its platforms to comply with EU regulations, with specific changes being made to the App Store. Some changes only apply to the iPhone, while others affect all Apple platforms. These changes include downloading apps from external stores, using non-WebKit engines in browsers, NFC settings for other wallet apps, and more.