In accordance with the European Digital Markets Act ( Digital Markets Act, DMA ), Apple until March 5, 2024 obliged allow the use of third-party app stores or the installation of apps bypassing App Store.

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is legislation against the monopoly of tech giants. The purpose of the legislation is to increase competition in the sector by removing some of the advantages of dominant players and make it easier for startups to compete.

If the law is applied in the way the EU intends, it will affect Apple in three ways:

• Apple will have to allow developers to use third-party payment platforms;
• Users should be able to install apps without using Apple’s App Store;
• iMessage needs to interact with other messengers.

However, one should not expect cardinal changes in these areas by March 5, 2024. The authors of the law want to force technology companies to give their customers the choice of how to install applications. However, the wording of the DMA contains a potential loophole that Apple is likely to use to challenge it in court. Therefore, changes in the work of the App Store and iMessage will appear within a few years.

Initially, there were doubts whether the DMA would affect Apple. Some politicians wanted the law to be aimed exclusively at social networks such as Facebook* and Twitter**, while others wanted the law to cover the biggest tech companies in general. In 2021, it was confirmed that the Act would be extended to include BigTech companies, putting Apple under the law.

Previously it was reported that draft law is being developed in Russia , similar to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), adopted by the European Union. It obliges Apple to allow installation of apps from third-party app stores, not just the App Store. Then the Office expected that the company would agree to comply with the norms of the bill, since “Apple is a bona fide company” and even paid a fine in the Russian Federation for violating the requirements of the FAS.

* The Meta company and its products (Instagram and Facebook) are recognized as extremist, their activities are prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation.

** The social network is prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation.