Following the iPhone’s lead, the iPad is set to welcome third-party app stores. Apple has confirmed when it will allow apps to be installed from outside its App Store, as part of complying with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act.
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In addition to supporting alternative app stores, the iPad will soon allow third-party web browsers to use their own proprietary engines instead of being restricted to WebKit. This change will enable browsers like Google Chrome, Firefox, and Brave to use technologies not tied to Apple’s.
iPad users in Europe won’t have to wait long to benefit from these changes in the Apple ecosystem. According to Apple, third-party app stores and web browsers with alternative engines will be available starting Monday, September 16, with the release of iPadOS 18.
iPadOS 18 will introduce third-party app stores and other updates to the iPad.
The changes Apple must implement on the iPad to comply with the Digital Markets Act will launch just over six months after their debut on the iPhone. Initially, the company only needed to open its ecosystem for the iPhone, which was completed in early March with iOS 17.4.
This update introduced third-party app stores, alternative payment methods in the App Store (including the controversial Core Technology Fee or CTF), browsers without WebKit, and access to the NFC chip on the iPhone and Apple Watch.
Initially, the iPad was not covered by the new EU regulations because it did not meet the required user threshold. However, the European Commission classified iPadOS as a gatekeeper at the end of April and gave Apple six months to comply with the legislation’s requirements.
Apple promised to meet the deadline and announced that third-party app stores and other changes would arrive in the final quarter of the year. However, the first changes are ready to debut with the update to iPadOS 18.
It is not yet known which alternative marketplaces will launch on the iPad, though some familiar names might appear. For instance, AltStore PAL, which was the first third-party store on the iPhone, could expand to the iPad. Additionally, the Epic Games Store has also promised to come to the iPad, bringing Fortnite and other games.