European regulators to require Apple to make the iPad as accessible as the iPhone

As part of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Apple has six months to deploy the changes introduced on the iPhone with iOS 17.4 on the iPad. The European Commission has included iPadOS on its list of access controllers subject to stricter rules.

In the next six months, it will be possible to install the AltStore on an iPad, play Fortnitedownload applications from a website and change your default browser from the first start, like on iPhone.

In a press release dated April 29the European Commission announces that it now considers iPadOS to be a gatekeeper, after initially excluding it from this list.

Officially, Apple declares a number of users lower than the 45 million required in Europe (the threshold established by the EU to fall under the DMA), but Brussels, after carrying out a survey, estimates that the number of professional users is 11 times higher. Additionally, the number of end users is likely to increase in the near future. It gives Apple six months to update iPadOS.

Good news for the iOS/iPadOS ecosystem

The addition of iPadOS to the list of gatekeepers is good news for tablet users. Indeed, alternative stores in Europe are now exclusive to the iPhone, which creates a risk of significant exclusion for the tablet. The European regulation on digital markets adjusts the situation.

The Delta emulator is a concrete example. It is only available on the AltStore in the European Union. It can therefore only be installed on an iPhone. In other countries, it is also present on the App Store, which makes it compatible with all Apple products.

Apple requires developers to provide a description and screenshots for each unofficial installation. — Installing the Alt Store on an iPhone. It is a competing store to the App Store. // Source: Numerama Captures

“Apple enjoys a strong and sustainable position regarding iPadOS. Apple now has six months to fully comply with DMA obligations for iPadOS »adds the European Commission.

A quick update… or in 6 six months?

By splitting iOS and iPadOS into two operating systems, Apple managed to bypass DMA on its tablet for several months. The brand, which has complied with iOS 17.4, should be able to act quickly if it wishes. But does she want it?

Apple has two options: bring the iPad into compliance with its next update, or wait. In six months, we will then be in October. iPadOS 18 could be released without DMA compliance. The brand will have until a possible iPadOS 18.1 or 18.2 to update its tablet.