Apple Introduces Third-Party iOS App Stores in Japan, Upholding User Privacy and Child Safety
In response to Japan’s new competition law, Apple is implementing alternative app stores and payment options for iOS users in the country. This move aims to enhance app distribution choices while maintaining the company’s commitment to user privacy and child safety.
Alternative App Stores with Authorization
Under the new regulations, developers can distribute iOS apps through alternative marketplaces, provided these platforms receive Apple’s approval. This authorization ensures a single accountable operator for app discovery, updates, and user support. Unlike the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which mandates support for broader app distribution pathways, including installs outside curated marketplaces, Japan’s law allows Apple to limit alternative distribution to the App Store and approved marketplaces. Apple argues that this approach preserves a clear point of accountability for app discovery and updates, reducing potential security risks associated with unrestricted app downloads.
Notarization as a Baseline Safety Check
All iOS apps in Japan, regardless of their distribution method, must pass Apple’s notarization process. This limited review focuses on malware detection, functional integrity, and serious security threats. While apps downloaded outside the App Store will not undergo the full App Review, the notarization process ensures baseline security checks are applied universally. Apple points to the Mac platform, where notarization already applies to apps distributed outside the App Store, as a precedent for maintaining consistency without unrestricted web installs.
Child Safety as a Platform-Level Control
Age ratings and parental controls remain enforced at the iOS level, rather than being delegated to individual marketplaces. Developers are required to provide age ratings, while access is governed by Apple ID age data, Screen Time, and Family Sharing. These tools, including features like Ask to Buy, content restrictions, and app-level controls, have long been integral to iOS, ensuring consistent protection for younger users. Apple argues that maintaining these controls at the platform level avoids inconsistent protections across different app stores.
Why Apple Prefers Japan’s Model
Apple presents Japan’s law as a model of regulated openness, allowing alternative distribution within a framework that preserves platform accountability. In contrast, the company argues that the EU’s DMA reduced oversight, leading to fragmented enforcement and weakened parental controls. Apple points to recent European changes as evidence that broader openness can introduce content and security risks previously mitigated.
The Japan-specific changes are available starting with iOS 26.2, and developers can begin integrating the new options immediately. Apple’s approach in Japan highlights its commitment to balancing competition with user protections, ensuring that expanded app distribution choices do not compromise privacy and safety.
