Apple announced more changes related to the mechanism for developers to offer their applications by allowing those who meet certain criteria to make their applications available on their websites and enabling users to download them directly.
The Web Distribution option will allow developers to publish their applications more widely outside the company's App Store.
For developers to be eligible to take advantage of the new option, they will need to agree to the new App Store rules imposed by Apple, which makes them pay a fee for each installation after certain limits, and to be members of the Apple Developer Program for at least two years.
Another criterion set by the company is that developers must have an application that received "more than one million first annual installs on iOS in the EU in the prior calendar year," according to the support document published on its official website.
With these amendments, Apple faces harsh criticism and is accused of adhering to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU only formally, which may make it subject to scrutiny by the relevant authorities.
The DMA forced Apple to allow alternative application stores to the App Store and to allow users to download applications from outside the store.
The company currently allows developers to launch app stores that contain their own apps only.
