Apple recently unveiled a policy allowing developers to distribute iPhone apps directly from their websites, a move that has met with backlash due to its restrictive eligibility criteria. Developers are only considered for this ‘web distribution’ route if they have an app listed in the Apple App Store with over a million downloads and have sustained a positive standing in the Apple Developer Program for at least two years.
Security and software experts at Mysk have critiqued the one million downloads requirement as not being random, highlighting that Apple profits by earning fifty cents from each app download after the first million. The requirement for developers to have a commendable reputation within the Apple Developer Program has also drawn criticism from various quarters.
Given Apple’s stringent conditions, web distribution will be beyond the reach of most developers. Mysk’s team and tech investor M.G. Siegler predict that Apple will likely introduce adjustments to these conditions, especially in light of the criticism emanating from the European Union’s regulatory scrutiny.
