Apple requested the information from the developers the information of the European Union (EU) to adapt to the Digital Services Law (DSA). More than 135,000 applications that did not fulfill this necessity have been removed from the App Store in EU member states. This has been recorded as the largest application removal process since the establishment of the platform.
The DSA contains a number of rules aimed at protecting consumers of online platforms and has become valid for all online platforms on February 17, 2024. Articles 30 and 31 of the law require application developers to provide “merchant status” information to offer new applications in the EU or updates existing applications. In order to adapt to this regulation, Apple reported that they should provide developers until February 17, 2025. Applications that do not provide the necessary information until this date, the App Store has been removed.
Merchant status includes all applications that generate revenue through download, in -app payment or advertisements in the application store. Organizations need to provide telephone, e-mail and address information associated with data universal numbering system (DUNS) numbers. Individual developers have to provide address, telephone and e-mail information. Removed applications will not be visible until the developers update the trader status information through the App Store Connect Platform.
Apple, on February 18, 2025, announced that the applications that do not provide trader status information have been removed from the EU App stores. The company said that developers should enter this information via the App Store Connect. This step is considered part of Apple’s efforts to adapt to DSA.
According to the latest data, approximately 135,000 applications have become passive in EU App Store in the last 30 hours due to this change. In particular, independent and small -scale developers are more influenced by this regulation. Because such developers usually worked from home and only provided user support via an e-mail address. Therefore, they may have hesitation to share additional information such as address and phone number.
According to DSA, an application is considered to be a developer “merchant” if an application generates revenue through the App Store (whether paid downloads, in -app purchasing or advertising). Only free and ad -free applications are exempted from this obligation. While displaying address, telephone number and e-mail information on the application page for individual developers, companies only have to share phone and e-mail information. The new arrangement is located in the application details section just below the age limit and the supported languages.
Apple made small developers difficult
Apple’s step is to increase digital security and transparency in the EU market, while it seems to have caused new difficulties for small developers. Developers will be able to confirm their contact information via the App Store Connect and reinstall their applications. However, this process can create an additional burden, especially for small -scale developers. Because these developers often have limited resources, they may need to make extra efforts to meet additional requirements.