iOS: Alternative App Marketplaces Now in 29 Countries
Apple is losing its App Store monopoly in more and more countries. The list is soon to reach 30 regions.
Icons of App Store and Epic Games Store: The "Fortnite" manufacturer exerted a lot of pressure – and continues to do so.
(Image: Shutterstock/mundissima)
Apple has officially approved so-called alternative app marketplaces (Alternative App Marketplace, AAM) in a total of 29 countries worldwide—usually under pressure from the respective regulator. The most recent region is Japan, where with the release of iOS 26.2, expected in December, a decision by the local Fair Trade Commission from last August will be implemented. However, it's not just the iPhone manufacturer that is affected: Google will also have to make it easier to install alternatives to the Play Store soon.
First alternative app marketplaces are already running
According to user reports, both the Epic Games Store and the AltStore PAL (soon perhaps AltStore NTSC-J) are already ready to start for Japan, as soon as the beta of iOS 26.2 is on the device. Further AAMs could follow shortly. Apple initially laid the groundwork for the installability of such app store alternatives in the EU, which is considered a pioneer in regulating the company through the Digital Markets Act.
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However, Apple adapts the respective possibilities for local app providers to the respective legal situation. For example, AAMs are not yet allowed in the USA, but Apple still has to allow alternative payment methods. The company usually defends itself in court or at least with lobbying activities against regulation; this also applies to further release mandates, as the EU Commission, for example, demands down to the smallest detail demands.
How the countries are composed
The 29 world regions with alternative app marketplaces consist of the 27 EU states, the aforementioned Japan, and Brazil. Australia is also expected to be added very soon, which would mean reaching country 30. Apple's largest market, the USA, is still contested; it could take years before an AAM decision is made. Meanwhile, Apple faces expensive legal trouble in Great Britain, which could also lead to an AAM release, even if this has not yet been decided so far.
Apple recently argued in Great Britain with the EU as a negative example of market policy. The iPhone manufacturer publicly rejects the Digital Markets Act in its current form. Among other things, the company sees the “fundamental rights to privacy and online security of users” endangered.
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