Xbox challenges Apple following significant shift: “A misstep in strategy”

In March 2024 the time has come: Apple will open the gates and allow iOS apps to be installed via sources other than the in-house App Store. That's a reason to celebrate, right? Many companies see it differently. Because Apple is also throwing a few new obstacles in the way of companies.

Apple is opening up to other app marketplaces

If you want to install iOS apps on your iPhone or iPad, you can't ignore the App Store. That should change soon – at least within the EU. From March 2024, Apple will also allow EU citizens Download apps from other sources to your Apple device and to install. This is good news for Apple users. It looks similar for the developers if there weren't a few additional clauses.

Anyone who decides to offer their app via third-party stores will still be asked to pay. The developers should pay 50 cents annually for each app installation, which goes beyond the one million installation threshold. So if an app has a particularly large user base of several dozen or hundreds of millions of users, it can quickly add up – especially since every update is counted as an additional installation by Apple (source: The Verge).

New Apple guidelines are upsetting developers

This is a thorn in the side of many companies – including Epic Games, Spotify and Xbox. The decision-makers at the respective companies are not holding back their opinions regarding these changes. Sarah Bond, her character President of the Xbox brandmakes the following statement on the matter on X (formerly Twitter):

We believe that constructive conversations promote change and progress towards open platforms and greater competition. Apple's new policy is a step in the wrong direction. We hope they listen to feedback on their proposed plan and work toward a more inclusive future for all.

Some players were probably looking forward to the fact that they would soon be able to use cloud streaming via Xbox Game Pass directly via an app on their iPhone. Whether Microsoft will now reconsider actually taking this step remains to be seen.