Epic Games launched its app store on the iOS platform for EU users after the European Commission forced Apple and Google to change their policies for allegedly promoting an app distribution monopoly that disadvantaged third-party app stores. However, the tech giants continue to slow down the installation process.
We overlooked this earlier: Epic Games has launched its App Store on the iOS platform in the European Union and on the Android platform globally, it said in an August 16 blog post. The company said it launched the App Store on iOS devices in the EU “thanks to the Digital Markets Act,” but noted that Apple blocked all iOS users outside of EU-administered territories from accessing Fortnite and the Epic Games Store for iOS.
Complicating the installation process on the Epic Games App Store
Epic claimed that the store’s installation process has so far been lengthy because “Apple and Google intentionally introduce inferior installation experiences riddled with multiple steps, confusing device settings, and scare screens.”
“The tide is turning and the mobile ecosystem is finally opening up to competition. We are grateful to the European Commission for making it possible to launch the Epic Games Store and offer our games to iOS users in the European Union. Now European iOS users and all Android users can access our store and games as they have always been able to on open platforms like PC and Mac,” said Tim Sweeney, CEO and founder of Epic Games.
The Epic Games Store offers popular offerings from the developer, such as Fortnite and Rocket League Sideswipe.
Why it is important?
This is the first time Fortnite has returned to iOS in four years. Apple and Google removed the game from their respective stores in 2020 after Epic Games allowed its users to make payments directly to them, bypassing the Google Play Store and App Store’s payment mechanisms.
Epic Games emerged victorious in its legal battle against Google shortly thereafter. In the trial, the jury concluded that Google maintained an illegal monopoly on the Android app distribution market and the in-app billing services market. In April of this year, Epic released a list of changes it plans to implement in the Google Play Store.
In early August, Apple changed its policies in the EU after the European Commission found the company non-compliant with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) because it charged a “core technology fee” to developers using app stores and third-party apps. The tech giant eliminated the fees and introduced a 15% commission structure, but Epic Games called this “malicious compliance.”
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As part of the current announcement, Epic has also indicated that it will bring its apps to AltStore PAL, an alternative app marketplace that EU users can now access following Apple’s changes to its App Store. Other competitors in this space include Setapp Mobile, Aptoide, etc.
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