Apple is opening its App Store to competition in Japan

apple Announce It will allow alternative app stores in Japan and will allow developers to process payments for digital goods and services outside of its in-app purchasing system in iOS. The iPhone maker isn’t making these changes because it wants to be more open; It was forced – in this case, to comply with the country’s Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA), which has now gone into effect.

with This updateIn another major market, Apple’s App Store revenues are affected by anti-competition laws and regulations. The company already has to comply with the European Digital Markets Act (DMA), which previously required the tech giant to do so Allow alternative app stores And other changes.

In the United States, Apple was strongly determined to change its internal payment system Through the courtsAfter a lawsuit from Epic Games, the manufacturer of Fortnite. Although it was not declared a monopoly, the court decided that Apple needed to give developers the right to process payments outside its system if they chose. (Details regarding this matter are still being worked out after the appeal Partially reversing a previous ruling.)

As usual, in announcing the changes in Japan, Apple warned that alternative app and payments markets open “new avenues for malware, fraud, fraud, and privacy and security risks.” To mitigate these risks, the company said it has worked with Japanese regulators to require an authorization process for app marketplaces (“authentication”), which it says is designed to specifically protect children from inappropriate content and scams.

The fact that Apple has come up with a process to mitigate risks related to alternative app stores suggests that there has always been a technical solution at hand to balance the needs of openness and security.

As in the EU, Apple has come up with a complex fee structure to ensure it doesn’t lose too much in the form of App Store revenue, while apparently sticking to the letter of the law.

Naturally, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has not been silent on the matter, saying that Fortnite will not return to iOS in Japan because Apple charges a 21% fee on third-party in-app purchases.

He wrote in a post on the X website“Apple was told to open iOS to competing stores today, and instead of doing so honestly, it launched another farce of obstruction and lawbreaking in blatant disrespect for the government and people of Japan. Apple has chosen poorly. Again.”

He also pointed out the difference between Apple and other game store providers, like Microsoft, by asking: “Can you imagine the uproar that would arise among gamers and regulators if Microsoft required all games from Steam and the Epic Games Store to connect to its commerce monitoring API and report all transactions to Microsoft?”

He added: “This is what Apple just announced in Japan.”

Apple has indicated that developers will need to agree to the latest update to the Apple Developer Software License Agreement, which includes New options for Japanby March 17, 2026.