Apple is making the biggest change to the App Store since its launch in 2008.
For years, iPhone users have only been allowed to download what Apple’s official store stocked.
Soon this will change as the company allows something called ‘sideloading’.
READ MORE: How much you’d have today if you invested $1,000 in Apple when Macintosh was introduced
Apple famously has a strict approach to product and software control.
While this is intended to improve user experience and security, it can sometimes be frustrating.
One frustration was the iPhone charging cable, which was only compatible with the company’s products.
Last year it was forced to make the switch to the universal USB-C charging cable, thanks to new EU laws.
Now the EU is making the tech company implement another major change.
The EU is on a mission to ban anticompetitive practices, deeming Apple a ‘gatekeeper’ in the world of tech.
Since its introduction, the App Store has not allowed third-party apps.
New regulations will prevent monopolization of the market, making sure Apple allows something known as ‘sideloading’.
This is the act of installing software from a third party rather than Apple itself.
Users will soon be able to load apps onto their iPhones via platforms like Google Play or Galaxy Store.
Once the ‘alternative app marketplace’ has been approved users can even make it their default app store.
“This is a new era we’ve never seen from Apple,” Sam Kohl, an Apple expert on TikTok, says.
He predicts the App Store will become less strict and will see some old favorites available on iPhones again.
“This almost 100% confirms that Fortnite is officially coming back to the iPhone,” Kohl says.
This also means that Apple will no longer be allowed to rank its own apps higher than others in the App Store.
Apple recently rolled out its updated iOS, which had improvements like the Visual Look Up feature and the option to leave a video voicemail on FaceTime.
The next update, iOS 17.4, will include this historic change to the App Store.
One of the most underrated but satisfying elements of this new regulation is you’ll finally be allowed to delete the Stocks app.
