Last week, Apple announced that it will allow customers living in the EU to download apps without using its own App Store. It’s one of the concessions that the US tech giant has grudgingly made to be compliant with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. So-called gatekeepers — large, powerful tech firms, including Amazon, Apple, and Alphabet, that are deemed to control “core platform services” — will be obliged (from 6 March) to abide certain provisions in order to promote fairer competition in the digital economy.
Among the other changes involving the Apple App Store: Browser makers like Firefox would be able to use their own engine, instead of WebKit, which powers Apple’s Safari browser. Game streaming apps like GeForce Now and Xbox Game Pass will finally be allowed in the App Store as a full-fledged app, not a browser-based app — this applies worldwide, not just the EU.
But Apple isn’t giving up without a fight. Besides complaining that the App Store changes will increase the risks for de…
