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Apple only lets iPhone and iPad users based in the EU to install apps using alternative app marketplaces in addition to the App Store. The ability was introduced in iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 18 in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act, and Apple does not currently allow it in any regions outside the 27-member bloc. However, that's set to change. In June 2024, the Japanese parliament approved and enacted legislation that requires Apple to allow third-party app stores and payment providers on the iPhone. The law seeks to curb the dominance of major tech firms like Apple in the smartphone market. More recently, in August 2025, the Japan Fair Trade Commission established the Mobile Software Competition Act Guidelines. Under the new guidelines, platform operators like Apple and Google are banned from blocking or restricting the availability of alternative app stores and payment systems on their mobile operating systems. iOS 26.2 Beta 1deDai Ti apurisutoagaRi Ben demoLi Yong Ke Neng ninatsuteru!! !!!! AltStore PALtokaEpic Games StoreShi eru! pic.twitter.com/ 292ncTZrKJ -- Tzzlala (@Tzzlala) November 4, 2025 The guidelines are set to come into effect by December 18, 2025, while Apple is expected to release iOS 26.2 in December, sometime between December 9 and December 16. Epic Games has already announced plans to bring Fortnite and its game store platform to iOS in Japan by late 2025. Tags: App Store, Japan [ 97 comments ] Get weekly top MacRumors stories in your inbox. [ ][ ][Subscribe] Popular Stories Apple Logo SpotlightApple Logo Spotlight Report: Apple to Launch These New Products in 2026 Sunday November 2, 2025 5:34 am PST by Hartley Charlton Apple is planning to launch at least 15 new products in 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman outlined what to expect from Apple in 2026 in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter. He said the company is heading "into one of its most pivotal years in recent memory," with the rollout of major new Apple Intelligence features, intense regulatory pressure on the App Store,... Read Full Article * 54 comments Apple Intelligence General Feature 2Apple Intelligence General Feature 2 New Version of Siri to 'Lean' on Google Gemini Sunday November 2, 2025 6:06 am PST by Hartley Charlton In his "Power On" newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today provided an update on the status of Apple Intelligence and the plans for it in 2026. Apple is still planning to roll out its revamped version of Siri around March of next year. The release should be accompanied by the release of a new smart home display product with speaker-base and wall-mount options. A new Apple TV and HomePod... Read Full Article * 210 comments HomePod mini and Apple TVHomePod mini and Apple TV New Apple TV and HomePod Mini Likely Launching Soon Sunday November 2, 2025 5:49 am PST by Hartley Charlton A new Apple TV and HomePod mini could launch as soon as this month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today suggested. In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple retail stores are planning an overnight refresh on the evening of November 11, where changes will be made after closing, such as refreshing displays and placing new products for the following day. The timing of the overnight... Read Full Article * 131 comments iOS 26iOS 26 Apple Releases iOS 26.1 With Liquid Glass Toggle, Slide to Stop Alarm, New Apple Intelligence Languages and More Monday November 3, 2025 1:11 pm PST by Juli Clover Apple today released iOS 26.1, the first major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.1 comes over a month after iOS 26 launched. iOS 26.1 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation iPhone SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings > General >... Read Full Article * 172 comments iOS 26iOS 26 iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by Joe Rossignol Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app, under Display... Read Full Article Early Black Friday Deals 2Early Black Friday Deals 2 The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals Sunday November 2, 2025 10:04 am PST by Mitchel Broussard We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ... Read Full Article * 9 comments apple one cpqesecbv342 upscaled featureapple one cpqesecbv342 upscaled feature Apple One Gets New Colorful Logo Following Apple TV Rebrand [Updated] Monday November 3, 2025 3:22 pm PST by Juli Clover Apple updated the logo and name for its Apple TV streaming service today, and it looks like Apple One might be next. On the revamped Apple TV website, there's a new, more colorful Apple One logo available. The logo features an Apple icon that's split into six slices, and each slice includes the color that Apple uses for one of the services included in Apple One Premium. Apple One is... Read Full Article * 112 comments Top Rated Comments WarmWinterHat Avatar WarmWinterHat 10 hours ago at 04:51 am Whatever. Still talking about this? No one is crazy enough to leave The Walled Garden and enter a neighborhood where all the bad guys are waiting for all your financials and everything else of yours. Yikes! I am "crazy enough" to leave the walled garden. Actually I'm just not an idiot and can decide such things for myself, without Apple's help. Stop living in fear, friend. Been doing fine with regular unwalled computers for 30 years. Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree) gvanvoor Avatar gvanvoor 10 hours ago at 04:46 am Wouldn't it be easier to just allow this worldwide like google did for the play store? Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree) turbineseaplane Avatar turbineseaplane 9 hours ago at 05:35 am I'd love to see numbers on how many EU users are actually using alternative app stores. The numbers have to be minuscule. The average consumer doesn't give two ducks about what App Store they use. Great! Then compliance shouldn't be an issue and nobody who's upset about it will even be impacted. Let's get it rolled out worldwide and appease the regulators and move on with other issues Apple needs to address. Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree) WarmWinterHat Avatar WarmWinterHat 10 hours ago at 05:20 am To be honest, the average macrumors reader is not representative of the general population that might let their kids rack up tens of thousands in IAPs. It's way easier to do that stuff on a phone vs desktop apps. It's plenty easy to do that in the walled garden, and has been for years. Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree) DaveTheRave Avatar DaveTheRave 7 hours ago at 07:56 am The Walled Garden is one of the main reasons why 2b+ people buy iPhones in the first place! Duh! The average iPhone buyer doesn't know or care about the walled garden. But for the rest of us, we want to be treated like adults and be able to install whatever we want. Just like on a MacBook. Simple concept. Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree) turbineseaplane Avatar turbineseaplane 9 hours ago at 05:32 am Wouldn't it be easier to just allow this worldwide like google did for the play store? If sensible forward looking decision making on this issue were being implemented at Apple, then yes, absolutely. Unfortunately, their combination of extreme hubris and pettiness will more likely see Apple roll with weirdly different restrictions by geographical region, all the way it until becomes almost comical. Tim needs to re-evaluate where the world is at on this topic and take a new approach. This existing approach doesn't make sense moving forward. Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree) Read All Comments Next Article mac studio green M5 Ultra Chip Coming to Mac Studio in 2026 Guides ios 26 sidebar square iOS 26 Features Our comprehensive guide highlighting every major new addition in iOS 26, plus how-tos that walk you through using the new features. ios 26 1 sidebar square iOS 26.1 Features New options for Liquid Glass, Lock Screen Camera swipe behavior, and more. macos tahoe 26 square sidebar 50 macOS Tahoe Features New features and lesser-known changes to check out if you're upgrading. iphone 17 air pro vs square sidebar iPhone 17 vs iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone Air Apple's four new iPhones feature more differences between the latest models than ever before, so which one should you buy? * Apple Intelligence Guide * Image Playground Guide * iPhone Mirroring Not Working? * iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro: How to Use All the New Features * watchOS 11: All the New Features and Changes * What's New in iOS 18 Messages * iOS 18 Photos Changes * New AirPods Features in iOS 18 * 21 Time-Saving iPhone Tips * 14 macOS Tips to Make Your Life Easier * One AirPod Not Working? 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