Did you know Japan All Set To Enable More Third-Party App Stores And Payment Systems For iOS And Android Devices
It’s the news that has been speculated for months and now we’re finally
seeing more progress made in terms of enabling more third-party app
stores and payment options for both Android and iOS users in Japan.
So
many developments continue to arise as we speak after the country’s
government opted to submit its proposal as early as next year. This
would give rise to a new and revolutionary beginning in the country’s
tech world.
The news was first confirmed by the Japanese media outlet Nikkei
which delineated how the proposal will soon make its way toward the
country’s national legislature dubbed Diet. It wen went on to explain
how this would stop firms providing operating systems to smartphones
from abusing their power as a monopoly in the app store industry.
Hence, we can see how this would give rise to greater chances for
competition in the tech world, especially those firms finding it hard to
work against the big names of the smartphone world.
When or if
it’s passed, the nation’s Fair Trade Commission should be the regulatory
body overlooking this endeavor and making sure things go as planned,
the report added.
This would be in line with the long list of
trends we’re seeing take center stage and forcing organizations such as
Apple as well as Google to make more apps available to a greater number
of app stores.
At the start of this month, Google made it very clear how it would now
be saying yes to a mega $700 settlement that’s up for grabs in nearly 50
different states. This settlement would give rise to a larger number of
sideloading applications across Android and would even say hello to
other options for billing of platforms too.
iPhone maker Apple is
also under the radar in the EU as it allowed app sideloading across iOS
devices. After the DMA was rolled out in the European Union region in
the year 2022, we saw a lot of big names get scrutinized for enabling
new regulations for tech giants. Apple seemed to be a part of the list
of those who serve as gatekeepers of the industry. This means opening up
a plethora of options so third parties may benefit.
For now,
the Cupertino firm needs to comply with the DMA by early next year, as
March 4, 2024, was highlighted as the deadline to make the change. We’ve
also heard about software giant Microsoft doing its own work on
enabling third-party mobile app stores for gaming purposes but no
confirmation was made regarding that news so far.
Other reports
did detail how Apple is going to give sideloading permission to EU users
with iPhones and iPads at the start of next year, right before the
deadline ensues. So as you can imagine, it’s a race against time and
we’ll keep you updated on this front.
