Apple may enable sideloading in Europe ‘in the coming weeks’

Apple is reportedly planning to allow iPhone and iPad users in Europe to install apps from third-party app stores—potentially within a matter of weeks. 

The move from Apple comes in response to mounting regulatory pressure from European lawmakers demanding more competition in the app ecosystem.  

According to Apple insider Mark Gurman in Bloomberg’s “Power On” newsletter, Apple engineers are racing to launch support for app sideloading on European iOS...

16 January 2024 | App Stores

Open source wins concessions in new EU cyber law

The European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) has undergone substantial revisions, bringing relief to the open-source community.

Back in April, the Python Software Foundation (PSF) had expressed concerns about potential repercussions for CPython and PyPI if the initial form of CRA were to be enacted.

The primary worry was that, in the course of providing open-source software, the PSF and the Python community might assume legal responsibility for security issues in products...

15 January 2024 | Open Source

EU to rule against Apple in App Store battle with Spotify

EU regulators have reportedly sided against tech giant Apple in its prolonged battle with Spotify over App Store policies.

The crux of the matter revolves around Apple's alleged "anti-steering" rules, accused of inhibiting platforms like Spotify from effectively promoting alternative payment methods.

This ruling – set to impact not only the music-streaming industry but also any software requiring a monthly subscription – is currently awaiting finalisation with a...

14 December 2023 | App Stores

Microsoft intends to launch a mobile app store

Microsoft is planning to launch a mobile app store that will compete against the App Store and Play Store.

According to Microsoft’s Xbox head Phil Spencer, Microsoft will take advantage of an upcoming EU law that will break up the monopoly held by the two major smartphone platform holders.

"We want to be in a position to offer Xbox and content from both us and our third-party partners across any screen where somebody would want to play," Spencer told the...

21 March 2023 | Android

Apple set to be charged with being anti-competitive by the EU for limiting NFC

The EU is reportedly set to charge Apple for being anti-competitive due to locking down how its NFC technology can be used.

EU antitrust regulators opened an investigation into Apple Pay in June last year over concerns that it unfairly shuts out competitors and gives Apple’s own service an advantage.

According to Reuters’ sources, the EU is currently drafting objections which are due to be sent to Apple next year.

Apple takes a notoriously “walled...

6 October 2021 | Developer

Apple is now facing an antitrust investigation in Germany

Germany’s competition watchdog, the Bundeskartellamt, has announced the launch of its own antitrust investigation into Apple’s practices.

Apple will now face yet another probe into its oft-criticised “walled garden” and whether it abuses its market position with unfair policies.

"An ecosystem which extends across various markets may be an indication that a company holds such a position,” the Bundeskartellamt said. “It is often very difficult for other...

21 June 2021 | App Stores

OpenUK: UK maintains lead in European open-source contributions

Research from OpenUK finds the UK continues to lead in European open-source contributions—delivering up to a £43 billion boost to the economy.

OpenUK is a non-profit which aims to develop and sustain UK leadership in open-source software, hardware, and data.

The UK is one of the leading countries for open-source contributors with an estimated 126,000 developers lending their skills to global efforts.

Cheryl Hung, VP of Ecosystem at the Cloud Native Computing...

11 March 2021 | Open Source

Research: How average developer salaries differ across Europe

A new report highlights the differences in the average salaries of developers across Europe.

The research, conducted by recruitment platform talent.io, evaluated the salaries of both full-time and freelance developers.

Munich offers full-time developers the highest median salary (€70,000), followed by London (€66,000), Berlin (€60,000), Amsterdam (€57,500), and Paris (€45,000).

The entry-level median salary for software developers in London is...

17 February 2021 | Developer

Letter criticises App Store policies as EU opens antitrust investigation

A developer has penned an open letter criticising the App Store’s policies just a week after the EU announced it’s launched an antitrust investigation.

In a letter, Basecamp CEO Jason Fried set out his issues with the App Store’s payment policies.

Fried admits that money, specifically the 30 percent cut which Apple takes, is “a large part of the story” – but it’s the “absence of choice and how Apple forcibly inserts themselves between [the] company and...

22 June 2020 | App Stores

The EU’s strict rules may delay coronavirus contact-tracing apps

Contact-tracing apps helping to fight the coronavirus pandemic may be delayed in the EU due to the bloc's strict regulations.

With daily new infections, hospitalisations, and deaths beginning to decline in many countries, the conversation is now switching to how lockdown measures can be eased without causing a deadly resurgence. Contact-tracing apps are expected to be key in helping people return to some degree of normality.

Contact-tracing apps anonymously log all the...

17 April 2020 | Android