William Gallagher
Apple has been forced to allow third-party App Store in the European Union, but not all countries in Europe are in the EU. Here's where Apple's new rules will take effect.
Which countries do Apple's new App Store rules apply to?
The famous example of a European country not being in the European Union is the United Kingdom, which voted to leave. But there are others that just never joined the EU. AppleInsider can confirm that Apple is being very precise about changing the App Store solely were it is legally required to.
Which countries do Apple's new App Store rules apply to?
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
Users in these countries will be allowed to get apps from alternative app stores, and businesses in these countries will be able to spin up alternative download locations. They will have to update to iOS 17.4, and of course developers will have to adhere to the requirements that Apple is applying — if they don't just stick with Apple's existing one.
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
1 Comment
I wonder how Apple will enforce this. If i switched my phone from UK to France, say, will I get access to alternative stores? And will they vanish if I switch back?
I don't see it staying like this in just the EU though - if it's successful (jury's definitely out on that one), eventually I'm sure pressure from inside and outside Apple will open this up to the rest of the world.