Apple To Provide Consultations To iOS Developers Over App Store Changes (Photo by Trac Vu on Unsplash)

Apple has recently announced changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in Europe. Apple made this move in response to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. The iPhone maker is now offering consultations to iOS app developers to make sure they understand what is changing.

According to the Apple Developer website, iOS developers can meet with an Apple team member to discuss changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store impacting apps in the European Union. The topics in the discussion include alternative distribution on iOS, alternative payments in the App Store, and new business terms.

The consultation with an Apple team member will last around 30 minutes. “In this 30-minute online consultation, you can ask questions and provide feedback about these changes,” wrote Apple on its website. Meanwhile, 9To5Mac reported that there will also be in-person sessions, which will be held at an Apple lab in Cork, Ireland.

On January 25, Apple announced major changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store. The changes include more than 600 new APIs, functionality for alternative browser engines, expanded app analytics, and options for processing app payments and distributing iOS apps. According to Apple, the latest capabilities will become available to users in the 27 EU countries beginning in March this year. Notably, the EU’s Digital Markets Act is designed to ensure fairer competition between tech giants.

The main highlight of this move is that iPhone users in EU nations will be able to sideload from other app stores, and they are no longer limited to the Apple App Store. App developers will also gain the ability to provide alternative payment methods that do not depend on Apple’s own systems. Apple will also launch a new choice screen that will surface when users first open Safari in iOS 17.4 or later. The screen will prompt EU users to choose a default browser from a list of options.