In order to comply with new anti-monopolistic regulations from the European Union (EU), tech giant Apple is preparing to allow third-party app stores on its devices. This could be seen as a huge win for crypto and NFT app developers, at least in Europe.
According to a Dec. 13 Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the matter, under the new regulations, European customers would be able to download alternative app marketplaces outside of Apple’s exclusive App Store, enabling them to download apps that avoid Apple’s 30% commissions and app restrictions.
Apple now has strict guidelines for NFT apps that essentially force users to make in-app purchases subject to a 30% commission from Apple, while apps are not allowed to facilitate cryptocurrency payments.
The self-custody wallet app update from Coinbase was blocked on December 1 as a result of Apple’s enforcement of its rule because Apple planned to “capture 30% of the gas price” through in-app sales, which is “obviously not possible,” according to Coinbase.
The next accusation was that if NFT transactions couldn’t be completed through Apple’s in-app purchase system, Apple wanted the wallet to disable them.
In response to the report that a “crypto app store” could be created and would be a “wonderful candidate” for a venture capital-backed firm, Alex Salnikov, co-founder of NFT marketplace Rarible, tweeted on December 13.
In response to the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which seeks to control so-called “gatekeepers” and ensure that platforms behave fairly, Apple has decided to open its ecosystem. One of the measures allows “third parties to inter-operate with the gatekeeper’s own services.”
Businesses must fully comply by May 2024 and it will take effect in May 2023.
Apple hasn’t made up its mind about whether or not it would abide by a provision of the Act that permits developers to integrate alternate payment methods within programs that don’t involve Apple. If it complies, it might allow cryptocurrencies to be used in payment systems.
