Apple is forced to make significant changes in iOS and the App Store policies under the pressure of the European Union, while it is faced with similar arrangements worldwide. Finally, a Federal Court in Brazil ruled that Apple should give iPhone users in the country to upload applications from different sources without being dependent on the App Store. The company has 90 days to implement this regulation.
According to Valor Econômico, one of the leading economic newspapers in Brazil, the Federal Judge Pablo Zuniga decided that Apple should open the iOS platform to other application stores and independent developers. The judge said Apple’s current policies reduce the competitiveness of application developers and make it difficult for new players to enter the market.
Brazil’s competition regulatory institution, Cade, announced in November 2024 that Apple could not necessarily require developers to distribute the application only through the App Store. The institution announced to Apple to make the necessary arrangements within 20 days, otherwise it would face more than $ 40,000 per day.
Apple objected to this decision and the court evaluated the company’s additional time request and ruled that the changes did not have urgency. Apple argued that arrangements on the App Store would affect the business model and should not be hurried. Last month, the company attended a public hearing on this issue in Brazil and presented its defense.
However, with the final decision, the court once again emphasized that Apple should make the iOS ecosystem more clear in Brazil. Apple may face criminal sanctions if he does not comply with this obligation within 90 days.
An antitröst investigation against Apple began with the complaint of Mercado Libre, one of the largest e-commerce platforms of Latin America. The company suggested that Apple forced applications that offer digital content to use its own payment system. In addition, companies such as Match Group and Epic Games, the owner of Tinder, made similar complaints against Apple, claiming that App Store policies have limited competition.
Apple will appeal the decision
Apple said in a statement on the subject, the company supports competitive markets and operates in all regions of the competitors in the race, he said. However, Apple argued that the regulation in Brazil would endanger the confidentiality and security of iOS users and announced that it would object to the court decision.
On the other hand, Apple had to adapt to similar regulations in the European Union. Within the scope of the EU Digital Markets Law (DMA), Apple had to allow alternative application stores in iOS and third -party payment systems. This decision of Brazil is considered as a sign that similar regulations can come up in other countries.
How Apple will respond to the court decision and what changes in the iOS ecosystem for users in Brazil will become clear in the coming process. In the world of technology, however, expectations that the App Store’s closed ecosystem will be further examined in many countries.