iOS 17.5 Lets EU iPhone Users Download Apps From Websites
Apple today released the first beta of iOS 17.5 to developers, and as expected, the update introduces support for downloading apps from developer websites in the European Union.
In iOS 17.4, Apple began allowing developers to offer their apps through alternative app marketplaces in the European Union to comply with the Digital Markets Act. Apple initially intended for apps to only be available through these marketplaces, but in March, Apple said that it would in fact be adding support for downloading apps directly from websites.
To offer an app for download from a website in the European Union, developers need to meet specific criteria. Developers need to be a member of the Apple Developer Program for two continuous years or more and must have an app with more than one million first installs on iOS in the European Union in the prior year. Other requirements include submitting to Apple's notarization process and publishing transparent data collection policies.
Apple will provide authorized developers with an API that allows them to offer their apps for download via the web. Apps downloaded this way will be able to be backed up, restored, updated, and more.
This is the first time that Apple has sanctioned downloading an app directly from a website. Support for this feature will allow apps like Spotify, Fortnite, and others to be downloaded directly on iPhones should the developers behind those apps opt in to Apple's terms.
Apps offered through the web do not have to pay any commission to Apple, but they are subject to the 0.50 euro Core Technology Fee.
As with alternative app marketplaces, app downloads from the web are available in the European Union only under the terms of the DMA. Note that apps can only be downloaded this way on the iPhone as the changes do not apply to the iPad.
Popular Stories
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
