Key Points
- Apple is now allowing third-party app stores on iPhones in Japan to comply with new laws.
- Developers can launch their own marketplaces and pay Apple commissions as low as 5%.
- This change is similar to new rules in Europe, but with some key differences.
- In Japan, Apple will retain the authority to approve new app stores and to conduct security checks on its apps.
Apple announced on Wednesday that it is opening the iPhone to alternative app stores in Japan, a major change in response to new competition laws in the country. The move marks another crack in the company’s once-impenetrable “walled garden.”
Under the new rules, developers in Japan can now launch their own app marketplaces on the iPhone. Apple will still take a cut of the sales, but it will be much lower, with developers paying as little as 5%.
Developers will also be able to use their own in-app payment systems. However, Apple’s system will still be available, and the company will continue to collect a commission on those sales.
This is a big deal. For years, Apple has forced developers to use its App Store and pay commissions as high as 30%. Japan is now the latest country, after the European Union, to force companies to open up their ecosystems.
However, the Japanese rules are different from those in Europe. In Japan, Apple will retain the authority to approve new app marketplaces and will require them to include age ratings. It will also perform a basic security check on every app sold through these new stores.
In a statement, Apple said it has worked to “reduce new privacy and security risks” while complying with the law, aiming to provide “the best and safest experience possible” for its Japanese users.
