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The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) has officially come into force, and its ramifications are being seen left and right. The latest development comes from Apple, which released a DMA Compliance Report Explaining the changes required of them. These include immediate and next steps, such as presenting the browser selection screen.
Before we get into the changes Apple has made, here’s some quick background: The Digital Markets Act defines “gatekeepers” like Apple, Meta, and Amazon based on revenue and users. The law prohibits these companies from favoring their own platforms or forcing users to remain within their ecosystem. In line with this – when Apple users in the EU open Safari, they will be asked to choose a default browser from a list of options available in their region. Developers can also choose from different browsers – although they need to request and obtain different ‘entitlements’. These updates will roll over to anyone who downloaded iOS 17.4.
Apple is also implementing steps to make its data more portable to external systems, meaning an iOS user could import their data into an Android phone, for example. “Apple is developing a solution that helps mobile operating system providers develop more user-friendly solutions for transferring data from an iPhone to a non-Apple phone,” the statement read. “Apple is also creating a browser switching solution to export and import relevant browser data to another browser on the same device.” The mobile operating system changes should take effect by fall 2025, while Apple aims to have the browser switches live by the end of 2024 or early 2025.
In its compliance report, Apple outlines the ways the company believes these shifts could harm users and developers. Apple states that these risks include “new avenues for malware, fraud, malicious and illicit content, and other privacy and security threats. These changes also weaken Apple’s ability to detect, prevent, and take action against malicious apps on iOS and support users.” Affected by issues with apps downloaded outside the App Store.” The company has introduced steps such as authentication for iOS apps, but claims they will not be fully effective.
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