Developers respond to Apple’s EU App Store modifications. Mozilla seeks expanded Firefox iOS backing, Spotify deems it a “farce,” and Basecamp criticizes fees hindering alternative stores
Apple has recently revealed alterations to its App Store policies in Europe to adhere to the EU’s Digital Markets Act. The updated regulations will enable sideloading and alternative app stores in Europe, along with third-party payment systems. This move has sparked diverse responses from companies and developers who have previously criticized Apple’s closed ecosystem approach.
Mozilla calls the changes disappointing
For browsers such as Firefox, Apple will permit the utilization of alternative rendering engines, in addition to WebKit, on iOS. Nonetheless, Mozilla finds this adjustment extremely disappointing as it is confined to the EU.
“We are currently assessing the technical specifics but are deeply dissatisfied with Apple’s proposed limitation of the newly introduced BrowserEngineKit to apps specific to the EU,” stated Mozilla spokesperson Damiano DeMonte to The Verge. “This would essentially compel an independent browser like Firefox to create and manage two distinct browser implementations, a responsibility that Apple themselves will not have to shoulder.”
Mozilla contends that the requirement to maintain a version of Firefox exclusive to the EU on iOS introduces unwarranted complexity. “Apple’s proposals do not offer consumers meaningful alternatives, as they make it as difficult as possible for others to offer competitive alternatives to Safari,” DeMonte remarked. “This is another instance of Apple erecting barriers to hinder genuine browser competition on iOS.”
Spotify criticizes the changes as a “complete farce” that harms developers
Music streaming service Spotify strongly criticized Apple’s plan. In a post on its website, Spotify stated, “As Apple has just demonstrated, they believe they are exempt from the rules. Apple is consistently predictable. While they have exhibited poor behavior for years, this elevates their arrogance to a whole new level.”
Spotify specifically objected to Apple’s new €0.50 fee for developers for each annual installation after 1 million downloads. “Based on our interpretation of Apple’s proposal, a developer would be required to pay this fee even if a user downloaded the app, never used it, and neglected to delete it,” Spotify stated.
The post described the changes as a “complete and total farce” and labeled them as extortion. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek also mentioned in a post on X that the company cannot sustain the new fees while aiming for profitability.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney describes the changes as “malicious compliance.”
Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games and a vocal critic of Apple, expressed his reaction on X (formerly Twitter) without holding back. He described the update as “a new instance of Malicious Compliance” and “hot garbage.”
Sweeney argued that Apple is compelling developers into an “illegal anticompetitive scheme filled with new Junk Fees on downloads and new Apple taxes on payments they don’t process.” He also objected to Apple’s authority to “select which stores are permitted to compete” and potentially block stores like Epic’s.
Nevertheless, Sweeney stated that Epic still intends to introduce its store on iOS and Android, aspiring to be the “#1 multi-platform software store, built on the principles of payment competition, 0%-12% fees, and exclusive games like Fortnite.”
The founder of a gas app demonstrates the impact of high fees under the new terms
Nikita Bier, founder of the Gas app acquired by Discord, analyzed the figures to illustrate the amount Apple would collect under the new terms.
“Under the App Store’s new fee structure for Europe, if you generate $10 million in sales, Apple’s share is $6.2 million annually,” Bier tweeted. “Assuming you have no operating costs or salaries, your net amount: $2 million after tax—or 20% of your sales. I will never launch an app in Europe.”
A co-founder of Basecamp asserts that fees deter large apps from using alternative stores
David Heinemeier Hansson, co-founder of Basecamp, commented that the fees are “explicitly designed to ensure that no second-party app store ever takes off.” He cited the example of Meta’s Instagram app with 250 million EU users being charged $135 million per year by Apple to be in an alternative store.
“This poison pill is therefore explicitly designed to ensure that no second-party app store ever takes off. Without any of the big apps, there will be no draw, and there’ll be no stores. All of the EU’s efforts to create competition in the digital markets will be for nothing,” Hansson wrote.
These reactions indicate that while Apple’s policy changes are a step towards more openness, some developers believe they still reinforce the App Store’s competitive advantage. With new fees and limitations, iOS may remain challenging terrain for alternative stores and payment systems despite the new rules.
