According to a recent rumor, due to EU rules, the tech giant wants to allow iPhone and iPad users to install software from sources other than the App Store.

In essence

Due to upcoming EU laws, Apple intends to permit the installation of iOS apps from outside sources, according to Bloomberg.The action may facilitate the development of NFT-based apps by developers and increase the range of cryptocurrencies that can be paid for using iPhones and iPads.

To the chagrin of customers and developers alike, Apple's "walled garden" ecosystem design allows it to grab up to a 30% share of iOS software and service revenues. However, a recent rumor claims that Apple intends to open up its ecosystem, a move that might help apps based on NFTs and potentially increase the number of mobile crypto payment options.

According to sources familiar with the plans, Bloomberg claims that Apple intends to make it possible for iPhones and iPads to install programs from places other than its own App Store. The adjustments are being made in response to the Digital Markets Act of the European Union, which mandates that digital businesses fully adhere to limitations by 2024.

In order to comply with the new regulation, the distribution of support for external apps from third-party sources and marketplaces will at first start solely in Europe. Nevertheless, if other countries adopt comparable laws, the capability might be extended to those areas.

According to the usual annual release timetable, Apple is purportedly planning to introduce the feature in its iOS 17 software update, which is anticipated to debut next fall.

According to Bloomberg, the business is still debating whether to permit third-party apps to utilize their own payment infrastructure rather than requiring developers to use Apple's own payment system. If put into practice, that particular change might make using iPhone and iPad apps to spend cryptocurrency considerably simpler.

The rumored changes coincide with a growing backlash against Apple's closed environment, which not only philosophically opposes Web3's decentralized ethos but has actually resulted in limitations on how NFT assets can be used by apps. NFTs cannot be used to gate access to features or content within apps, according to an update to Apple's developer guidelines published in October.

Apple charges a 30% fee on NFT purchases as well, which may make it impossible to enforce the restriction on secondary market sales. Users cannot buy or sell NFTs using the iOS apps for marketplaces like OpenSea and Magic Eden; they can only browse them.

Changes to Apple's NFT rules have also wreaked havoc on current iOS apps. Following Apple's announcement that customers would be required to pay 30% of any network gas price (as on Ethereum) for the transaction, Coinbase recently revealed that it had to disable NFT transfers using its mobile Wallet app. That request was deemed "not viable" to implement by Coinbase.

Former Apple employee and co-founder of the well-known cryptocurrency wallet app MetaMask, Dan Finlay, tweeted in favor of Coinbase and criticized Apple for its "abuse of monopoly." He predicted that MetaMask may be the next company to be affected by Apple's policies and said, "I'll stand in solidarity here without a doubt."

Applications for NFT and cryptocurrencies that are now constrained or hindered by App Store constraints may gain from Apple's rumored ambitions to open up its ecosystem. Such programs may then be downloaded from other sources and would no longer be subject to Apple's rigorous standards, however Bloomberg claims that Apple may add more "security measures" for third-party apps.

The move may also help the expanding Web3 metaverse, as it is commonly rumored that Apple is working on a mixed reality headgear that might be released as early as 2023. With the goal of creating a metaverse characterized by platform interoperability, several Web3 developers are employing NFTs to indicate ownership of assets that are freely usable across spaces.