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First the iPhone, now the EU will force Apple to open up iPads
- The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) will now affect the iPad, and Apple could be forced to make some core changes to iPadOS.
- Through iOS 17.4, Apple rolled out support for alternative app stores, non-WebKit browser engines, and other features on iPhone to comply with the DMA.
- It’s yet to be seen how Apple will proceed, but bringing the EU-exclusive iOS features to iPadOS may be the most realistic course of action.
Last month, Apple released iOS 17.4 with support for alternative app stores, third-party, non-WebKit browser engines, and other features to comply with the EU’s DMA. Notably, these EU-exclusive features didn’t make it to iPadOS 17.4, as the DMA, at the time, didn’t encompass the iPad. That, however, may have just changed.
According to Bloomberg, the EU has drawn the latest iPads under the DMA’s scope, and Apple has six months to comply. When the tech overlord makes the requested changes, EU-based iPad users should be able to rely on third-party app stores and uninstall more of Apple’s built-in apps.
Considering that iOS and iPadOS share the same foundation, bringing the iPhone’s EU-only features to the iPad likely won’t take Apple as much time or effort. However, the recent changes made on iOS are still under review and may not necessarily comply with the DMA.
After all, multiple companies and developers have voiced their frustrations over Apple’s updated EU terms, which discourage them from hosting their applications outside the official App Store. These terms include a hefty Core Technology Fee that Apple charges annually for each app installation count.
Since Apple tweaked iOS to comply with the EU’s DMA, it’s safe to assume that it will implement similar features on the iPad. However, it’s currently unclear whether these potential changes will be included in an iPadOS 17.x update or be pushed until iPadOS 18.