It’s official: Apple is opening the door to third-party app stores on the iPad starting next week, on September 16. This significant change coincides with the launch of the next major update of iPadOS, the innovative operating system that powers the iPad.
This shift stems from the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a regulatory framework designed to promote market fairness and competition. Last fall, the European Commission identified six major tech companies as “gatekeepers” due to their control over key “core platform services” (CPS). Apple’s products and services, initially including iOS, the App Store, and Safari, later had iPadOS added to the list in April. Although iPadOS user numbers didn’t meet the DMA thresholds, the Commission noted strong locked-in effects for business users.
Given six months to ensure iPadOS compliance with the DMA, Apple announced that with iPadOS 18, EU users would gain the ability to install alternative app stores starting on September 16. This also opens the door for web browser developers to introduce browsers for the iPad with their own engines.
The recent introduction of third-party app stores on iOS in the EU gives some clues about what iPad users can expect. For instance, AltStore PAL was the pioneering alternative app marketplace for iOS in the EU, offering apps like the Delta video game emulator, the UTM virtual machine app, and the iTorrent app.
To maintain security, Apple requires all apps to be notarized before they can appear on alternative app stores. Additionally, developers must sign new business agreements with Apple and pay a controversial “Core Technology Fee” if they cross a certain threshold.
Epic Games has also stepped into the alternative app store arena, allowing users to download popular games like Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe, and Fall Guys onto their iPhones. The company is already making plans to bring these games to the iPad, expanding their reach.
As for web browsers, although third-party options such as Chrome and Firefox have been available on iOS, they rely on Apple’s WebKit engine to render web content. So far, tech companies have yet to launch EU-specific browser apps leveraging their own engines under the new DMA rules.
As this transformation takes shape, iPad users in the EU are poised to experience a more open and flexible ecosystem, aligning with the broader digital market landscape set by the DMA.
