Apple's App Store vice president is the first departure in regulatory shake-up

Fischer has been in charge of the App Store since 2010. After his departure, the App Store team will be split into two teams, one responsible for overseeing Apple's store and another for alternative app distribution.

"After 21 years at Apple, I've made the decision to step away from our incredible company," Fischer told his team in an email seen by Bloomberg.

"This has been on my mind for some time, and as we are also reorganizing the team to better manage new challenges and opportunities, now is the right moment to pass the baton to two outstanding leaders on my team."

Fischer will be replaced by Carson Oliver, a senior director at Apple, who will run Apple's App Store. Ann Thai, a director of App Store features, will run the new team for alternative distribution.

For several years, Apple has been under fire for its walled-garden App Store, often called anticompetitive. It has been the subject of several probes by authorities worldwide.

In March, Apple allowed developers in Europe to launch third-party app stores as a means to comply with EU regulations. Apple Fellow Phil Schiller has gone on record saying that third-party app stores are a safety and security risk to iPhone owners.