Apple is constantly making major changes to its business and much of it is being imposed on the company by new regulations established by the European Union. We have already seen that iPhones have finally adopted USB-C ports for charging, which have made their way to all countries. But new EU regulations bring a number of changes through the Digital Markets Act (DMA), increasing pressure on the company to change its strategy for consumers and developers.

Several reports have suggested the scale of new policies that Apple will bring to the EU markets from March this year and now the company has confirmed these new rules that handle the anti-competitive nature of Apple in these markets.

New Apple rules in Europe: Here’s what iPhone users can expect from March 2024

1. Sideloading on iPhone

EU regulations have ordered Apple to open iOS to third-party app stores and the company is doing just that. This means that iPhone users in these countries are not limited to just the App Store, but can sideload apps from other app stores as well. The new App Store rules will arrive via iOS version 17.4 in March but are limited to iPhone users in Europe. Apple’s flexibility will also allow you to make these third-party app stores the default option for their devices.

2. Pay outside Apple

For developers, Apple is finally giving them the option to use their own payment service for in-app purchases and subscriptions, or link it to a third-party system. For example, Netflix will now have the option to let people pay through its service instead of bypassing Apple’s App Store terms.

3. Tap to pay without Apple Pay

Apple is opening up NFC on iPhones to third-party developers allowing them to access the feature for platforms other than Apple Pay and supporting Tap to Pay. Yes, the new development is only available to users in Europe, but it’s great news for those who want to use other apps for payments on their iPhone.

4. Switch your default browser

Yes, iOS will finally have the option to switch your default browser from Safari to Chrome or even Firefox if you want to use it. Safari is touted as a more secure browser than others, but people love options and Apple is going to give it to iPhone users in Europe.

5. Fortnite returns to iOS

Epic Games has been fighting a battle with Apple for a long time but at least in Europe, iPhone users can finally enjoy Fortnite. The developer has confirmed the update and people can expect the game to release on iOS in the coming months.