Apple is introducing alternative app stores and payment options in Japan to comply with a new competition law, while maintaining that platform-level security and child safety controls remain in place.
Apple compares this approach with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which compelled Apple to support third-party app stores, alternative payments, and broader distribution pathways. The company maintains those requirements fragmented oversight in ways Japan’s law avoids.
For iPhone users, the changes expand app distribution choices without fully dismantling Apple’s platform-level controls. Apple is using Japan’s rollout to highlight what it sees as shortcomings in the EU’s DMA, while arguing that competition and user protections can coexist.
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