Long story short, Japan’s Fair Trade Commission is said to be working on new regulation that would make it mandatory for Apple to allow sideloading on iOS.
Apple has long been resisting the enabling of sideloading on iOS ever since the platform’s birth in 2007, but it’s beginning to look more and more like the end of an era is coming.
The new set of rules prepared by Japan’s regulators actually cover a number of areas, like app stores, payments systems and search engines. Along with allowing users to install apps on their iPhones from wherever they wish, it’s also expected that third-party payment systems will have to be allowed, meaning Apple’s cut from sales and in-app purchases could see a reduction.
All of these regulations will be in effect for both Apple and Google, and while Google has traditionally allowed users to sideload apps, their in-app purchase revenue might also take a hit.
Sideloading is extremely easy to do on all other major platforms like Windows, MacOS and Android. However, iOS was conceived as a very tightly integrated platform from the very beginning, which allowed Apple to build an insanely rich and lucrative app economy.
If not, well, users will be able to get their apps from wherever they wish, and potentially pay cheaper in-app purchases, so that’s still a win in our book. What remains to be seen if US regulators would, at some point, engage in similar action.
