iPhone at greater risk of malware with new EU law, warns Apple

Using the iPhone in continental Europe will come with increased risks due to seismic changes in the way iOS apps are distributed under new EU competition laws, Apple has warned.

The upcoming Digital Markets Act (DMA) will come into effect on March 7, 2024. The European Union law requires large multinational technology companies to break up previously closed ecosystems to give device owners more choice.


In order to comply, Apple will have to allow iPhone owners to download apps and make purchases from them outside your App Store. Until now, iPhone owners could only install apps and games from the App Store, which is preinstalled on all iOS devices.

This allows Apple vet all software before it’s available for download on iPhones worldwide, helping it maintain an iron grip on security, unapproved features, and taste.

Not only that, App Store purchases must be made through Apple’s payment system — an approach known as the “walled garden,” which Apple claims keeps users and their data completely secure.

DMA will also force Apple to allow alternative payment methods.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs holds the original iPhone on stage in 2007

iPhone users have only ever been able to download, install and update their iOS apps from the Apple SApp Store since the launch of the market in July 2008.

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The biggest changes come with iOS 17.4 ~

  • iPhone owners will be able to download iOS apps outside the App Store, including directly from websites or new app markets run by competitors such as Microsoft
  • Apple will allow users to install Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox and others popular apps as the default web browser on iPhone
  • Developers can use a mechanism other than Apple’s own WebKit to build a web browser for the iPhone, which could lead to Chrome and Firefox releasing new versions with their own web rendering technology — potentialy offering faster performance
  • App developers will be able to access the NFC chip inside the iPhone for wireless payments for the first time, enabling tap-to-pay transactionsions that do not rely on Apple Pay

Ahead of the unprecedented changes that will be included as part of the iOS 17.4 update, Apple has published a new white paper that describes how it will introduce new features to protect users from cyber attacks, malware and other risks in the new system.

However, despite its efforts, Apple said it could not eliminate the increased risks under EU law.

In its new report, Apple warns that because it is being asked to change its “uniquely successful approach” used to “protect user security and privacy,” it “will not be able to protect users in the same way.”

“In order to continue to offer users the safest, most privacy-protected and most secure platform – consistent with what users expect from Apple – we have designed and implemented new safeguards to help protect and inform them,” the document reads.

“While the changes required by the DMA will inevitably cause a gap between the protections that Apple users outside the EU can rely on and the protections available to EU users in the future, we are working tirelessly to ensure that iPhone remains the most secure of all phones available in the EU by reducing the risks that these necessary changes—although we cannot completely eliminate such risks.”

gray background with three icons for iOS, safari web browser and apple app store  iPhone owners will soon be able to download and install apps from third-party app stores not operated by Apple, as part of a major change triggered by the EU’s Digital Markets Act on March 7, 2024. APPLE PRESS OFFICE

Under the new system, Apple says it will introduce a new core review program for all apps, regardless of whether they are distributed through the App Store or an alternative app marketplace.

Apple says it will electronically sign any app distributed in the EU after it has been verified and cleared of “known malware and security threats, generally works as advertised and does not expose users to outrageous fraud.”

However, the company has confirmed that its new checks will not cover content within iOS applications. This means that content that would never be sold on the App Store will appear within its iPhone operating system in the EU.

“This means that Apple will not be able to block apps with content that Apple would not allow in the App Store — such as apps that distribute pornography, apps that encourage the consumption of tobacco or vape products, illegal drugs or excessive amounts of alcohol, or apps that contain pirated content (or that otherwise steal ideas or intellectual property from other developers) — not to become available in alternative application markets,” warns a white paper published by Apple.

But the US tech giant has promised “continuous monitoring” of apps to detect and remove any malicious apps it detects.

Under the new system in the EU, Apple will also start showing users pop-up warnings on the screen when they are about to leave the App Store to download an app or make a payment outside of the store and Apple’s payment system.

The California-based company said this will allow users to make “educated decisions about the apps they download.”

Apple said it had been contacted by consumers, governments and government agencies inside and outside the EU seeking assurances and clarity on platform security under the new rules.

A number of other tech companies have previously accused Apple of maintaining a monopoly over the app market by not allowing competing app markets or payment methods on the App Store. The European Commission claims that DMA offers more and better services for consumers to choose from and increases opportunities to switch providers if they wish, which will ultimately lead to fairer prices and encourage innovation in the sector.

Changes under the European Union’s DMA will allow competing companies, including Google, Amazon, Epic, Microsoft and others, to launch separate digital storefronts to distribute iPhone apps and games.

saying for the Financial Times, Microsoft’s games boss Phil Spencer previously confirmed plans to launch a separate store on iOS for mobile games when the Digital Markets Act comes into effect. Epic Games has already confirmed plans to renew its bestseller Fortnite mobile games on iPhone and iPad in Europe later this year — with the introduction of its own Epic mobile game store.

Developers can download the first beta of iOS 17.4 now to start testing the changes in preparation for a rollout in early March 2024. Apple will roll out its sweeping changes to the 27 member states of the European Union before the EU Digital Markets Act comes into effect on March 7 in 2024.

For now, iPhone owners based in the UK will be subject to the existing rules. Likewise, iPhone owners in the United States, Canada, Asia and other markets will not see any changes for now.

Additional reporting By Martyn Landi, PA Technology Correspondent

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