Apple is opening iPhones to alternative app stores in Japan to follow new rules aimed at increasing competition in the country’s smartphone market.
Japanese developers can now launch their own app marketplaces on iPhones and pay Apple as little as five percent of sales made through those stores and apps.
Developers can also offer their own in-app payment systems in addition to Apple’s, though Apple will continue to take a commission. Standard purchases through the App Store will have a 26 percent fee, while payments made outside the app using developer links will carry a 15 percent commission.
Japan is the latest country to challenge Apple’s App Store model, which has traditionally required developers to pay up to 30 percent on in-app purchases. Unlike European rules, Japan’s law lets Apple approve alternative app stores and requires apps sold on those stores to have age ratings. Apple will also run basic security checks called notarizations on all apps distributed through alternative marketplaces.
The law also asks Apple to allow some level of interoperability with third-party devices, but the company can reject requests if they might put users’ privacy at risk. Apple said it has made these changes while trying to keep privacy and security risks as low as possible.
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