TechScape: ‘Hot garbage’ or core protection? Inside Apple’s ongoing beef with the EU

Of course the App Store owner's fight with EU regulators is about money - but is it also about something more?

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Who owns the phone in your pocket? That's the question at the heart of Apple's latest battle with European regulators, and it doesn't look as if it's going to be settled any time soon.

On Thursday, the company published its plan for how to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a mammoth piece of legislation that seeks to break up the power of so-called gatekeepers": the massive (almost entirely American) technology companies whose stature warps whole industries. From our story:

Under the changes, the US tech company will also give iPhone users a range of browsers to choose from as their default, allow the use of alternative payment systems to Apple Pay, and permit the installation of alternatives to its App Store, which could theoretically include the Google Play store.

But there is a catch: for the first time, developers who take advantage of the option will be charged a flat fee per installation, overturning free-to-play business models and limiting the sorts of apps that can bypass the store.

The DMA requires changes to this system that bring greater risks to users and developers ... This includes new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, illicit and harmful content, and other privacy and security threats. These changes also compromise Apple's ability to detect, prevent, and take action against malicious apps on iOS and to support users impacted by issues with apps downloaded outside of the App Store.