Last week, Apple made a slew of announcements about changes coming to the App Store and iPhone in the European Union. Apple is making these changes because it must comply with the Digital Markets Act, and a new interview with Apple Fellow Phil Schiller makes it clear that Apple has serious concerns about these changes.
In an interview with Fast Company, Schiller acknowledged that changes such as alternative app stores and in-app purchases mean developers have new choices . . However, this choice comes with risks.
“These new rules, while opening up new opportunities for developers, also bring new risks. There is no escape from this. So we are doing everything we can to minimize those risks for everyone,” he said. Schiller explained.
Third-party app stores will also open iPhones to content that Apple has not previously allowed. “Ultimately, there are things that we have not allowed to be used in our App Store—things that we do not believe will be safe or appropriate,” the company said. Schiller told Fast Company. “We will not decide whether these other marketplaces will have the same terms and restrictions.“
He went on to explain how this increases the risk for users:
For more than 15 years, Schiller says, “we've received a lot of feedback from families, from governments about things that we need to do to try to either prevent certain types of inappropriate content from being on our App Store or providing users control over that experience so they can decide what's best for them—and we have rules about that,” says Schiller. “These rules will not apply to another market unless they decide to make their own rules, [with] whatever criteria they come up with. Does this increase the risk that users and their families will be exposed to objectionable content or different experiences? Yes, it is.”
Specifically, Schiller is worried about apps that will only be available on third-party marketplaces. “These situations will cause many users to say ‘okay’ to marketplaces without knowing much about them,” he said. – said Schiller.
The full interview is definitely worth watching and can be found on the Fast Company website.
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