India’s antitrust body says Apple exploited its dominant position in the market for app stores on its iOS operating system, engaging “in abusive conduct and practices”, according to a July 12 Reuters report. The finding, which could pave the way for big App Store changes in India, follows the announcement in June by the European Commission that formally accused Apple’s App Store of violating the EU’s new Digital Markets Act.
Meanwhile, following in the footsteps of the European Union, Japan has now passed a law that will restrict Apple and Google from blocking third-party app stores for Japanese users on their platforms. The legislation is expected to come into force by the end of 2025 and aims to reduce app prices and create a more equitable market by forcing the tech giants to compete with smaller challengers.
All three developments look likely to upend the half a trillion dollar global app market, ushering in more competition and innovation at a time when a growing number of corporates want to launch platform businesses and are considering opening their own app stores.
“The opportunities for companies, for developers, for consumers and enterprise customers are very big,” says Paulo Trezentos, Founder and CEO of Portugal-based Aptoide, an alternative app distribution and payment processing platform, with over 430 million users, 100,000 developers, 1 billion downloads a year and around 5 million transactions. Aptoide in June launched the first free iPhone App Store alternative in Europe, after the EU forced Apple to allow the installation of alternative app stores on Apple devices.
Trezentos was a speaker on a July 11 panel about the app economy moderated by The Innovator’s Editor-in-Chief during an online conference organized by Platform Leaders. The event brought together leading entrepreneurs, policy makers, academics, investors and practitioners to exchange insights and best practices on the future of AI, digital platforms and ecosystems.
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