Japan Preparing EU-Style Law to Force Apple to Allow App Sideloading and More

Japan is preparing antitrust legislation to force Apple to allow app sideloading and alternative payment methods for in-app purchases, Nikkei Asia reports.

iOS App Store General Feature Desaturated
The plans by Japan's Fair Trade Commission focus on combating Apple and Google's dominance in app stores and payments, search, browsers, and operating systems. The regulation could encompass a wide range of changes to Apple's practices, such as an obligation to allow users to utilize alternative app stores, effectively allowing sideloading on iPhones and iPads in Japan.

The regulation also looks to impose fines for violations of the rules amounting to around six percent of revenue earned from "problematic activities." The Fair Trade Commission's work on the legislation is ongoing, with plans to finalize it in the spring. The legislation will have to be approved by parliament in 2024 before coming into effect.

Japan's proposed regulation bears a strong resemblance to the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is set to force Apple to enable app sideloading in the EU by March 2024 among other significant changes.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 8 New Features

Thursday January 9, 2025 5:45 am PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of January 2025: More aluminum: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models ...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.3 Coming Soon: Here's What's New

Monday January 13, 2025 5:33 am PST by
iOS 18.3 is currently in beta for developers and public beta testers. So far, the upcoming iPhone software update is very minor in scope. Below, we outline what is new in iOS 18.3 so far. The only potential new feature coming to iPhones with iOS 18.3 so far is robot vacuum support in the Home app, but this functionality is not yet live. Apple is laying the groundwork for the feature,...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

HomePod Mini 2 and New Apple TV Launch Timeframe Narrowed Down

Sunday January 12, 2025 4:11 pm PST by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple plans to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models this year, and now he has provided a more precise timeframe. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple is currently aiming to launch the new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year." That timeframe suggests the devices will be released at some point...
new magsafe charger

Apple Releases Updated MagSafe Charger Firmware

Tuesday January 14, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the 25W MagSafe Charger that is compatible with the iPhone 12 and later and the latest AirPods and Apple Watch models. The updated firmware is version 2A143, up from the 2A138 firmware that the accessory shipped with. In the Settings app, you'll see a different version number than the internal firmware number. The 2024 MagSafe charger was...
se 4 for 2025

When to Expect the iPhone SE 4 or So-Called 'iPhone 16E' to Launch

Friday January 10, 2025 9:20 am PST by
Apple is widely rumored to be planning a new iPhone SE, and multiple sources lately have commented on the device's launch timing. The latest word comes from Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a blog post today, he said the device will be released around the middle of the first half of 2025. In other words, around the quarter mark of 2025. That means the next iPhone SE will likely be ...
AppleEventLogoFeature

Apple Focusing on These Eight New Low-Cost Devices in 2025

Saturday January 11, 2025 1:00 am PST by
Apple's slate of 2025 products look to be dominated by a large number of low-cost and entry-level devices. Here's what to expect. With advancements like Apple Intelligence and all-new in-house chip designs, Apple is reportedly looking to enhance many of its budget-friendly offerings, ensuring they remain competitive in an increasingly crowded market. These updates also indicate a slight...
General Apps Messages Redux

Phishing Attacks Use This Simple Trick to Defeat iPhone Message Security

Monday January 13, 2025 6:11 am PST by
A new social engineering tactic is being used by cybercriminals to trick iPhone users into disabling iMessage's built-in phishing protection, in a bid to expose them to malicious links and scams, according to BleepingComputer. The scam exploits a security feature in iMessage that automatically disables links from unknown senders. Apple told the outlet that when users reply to these messages...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected This Year: Here's What We Know

Wednesday January 8, 2025 7:05 am PST by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...

Top Rated Comments

Skyscraperfan Avatar
14 months ago

So the EU and Japan will also force their manufacturing companies to share their tech to enable anyone to do whatever they want to their products and maintain warranty over it?
Yes, because warranty is a right of the customer. In the past some parties even denied warranty if you attached a third party Ethernet cable to their devices. Notebook manufactures denied warranty if someone opened the notebook to add more RAM. I am glad those days are over.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Skyscraperfan Avatar
14 months ago

Once again governments thinking that they can tell people and companies what to do, this will not end well, and will not benefit anybody in the long-run.

If you don't like Apple's business model, quite simply - go else where...

As soon as people realize that the government is there to represent the people, not control the people - the world will become a better place...
Governments have to act in the interest of the customers. How can it be in the interest of the customers that Apple decides which apps they can install and gets a 30% share of every purchase? In the US consumer rights are pretty much non-existent, but that might change.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gpat Avatar
14 months ago
As a lifetime Android user, I'm somewhat baffled by these mandates.
I've always voted with my wallet, but never thought that Apple had to be forced to add missing features to iOS.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
steve09090 Avatar
14 months ago
No problem with side loading but it should void any reliance of Apple to fix it when something goes wrong. And it will.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
steve09090 Avatar
14 months ago

Yes, because warranty is a right of the customer. In the past some parties even denied warranty if you attached a third party Ethernet cable to their devices. Notebook manufactures denied warranty if someone opened the notebook to add more RAM. I am glad those days are over.
So, for example, you buy a Honda. You replace the operating system with one you 'prefer' and Honda should honour the warranty. Right…
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Skyscraperfan Avatar
14 months ago

So, for example, you buy a Honda. You replace the operating system with one you 'prefer' and Honda should honour the warranty. Right…
Yes, unless they can prove that your changes caused the problems.

No, not customers - they have to represent the people...

It's in the interest of the customers, as this will enable a business to be able to fully provide a service to the end users - providing support for a product - who knows what will happen if anonymous apps are allowed to be deployed - this opens up so many security concerns, such as the ability to eavesdrop (something we see constantly on Android).

I suspect that this is the real reason behind why the EU and Japan are looking at this, as it would allow them the ability to load in an app that would allow them to track and monitor anybody using the device - we know how the EU are already trying to block end-to-end encryption, and also iCloud Relay - they hate not knowing what people are doing.
Strange that sideloading has never been a problem with a Mac. Shouldn't Macs be full of viruses, if your theory is true?

And Apple of course will still allow you to block any app from getting any information you do not want it to get. Your location, your images, microphone access and so on.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)