There are two reasons why Apple doesn’t like sideloading
The EC is in charge of enforcing the Digital Markets Act in member countries
Companies that fail to comply with the DMA could be fined up to 10% of their annual global revenue. In Apple’s case, this would be a penalty as large as $39 billion based on the company’s 2022 revenue.
Apple is called a monopolist because of the App Store and the Apple Tax
Apple is being called a monopolist because, at least for now, it only allows iPhone users to install apps from the App Store. And it forces developers of apps in the App Store to process payments for most in-app purchases and subscriptions through Apple’s in-app payment platform. This is how Apple collects its 15% to 30% “commission.” And any developer that dares to challenge this by offering third-party in-app payment platforms to its users can be swiftly axed from the App Store.
The judge in the lower court case, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, ruled that Apple is not a monopolist and that it should not be forced to include Epic Games’ app storefront in iOS. However, this ruling is only valid in the U.S. In Europe, Apple doesn’t appear to be as untouchable as it is in the U.S.