Here Are All the iPhone Changes Coming to EU Users by March 6

[cupcakes2000]

There's going to be a fair bit of interest for folks from outside the EU, e.g. the UK to setup an EU Apple ID; and fund it with gift vouchers or something.

Picking Ireland or Malta, or any EU country where the iPhone has English as a language option would work I'd expect.

Why would you not want the choice of using these additional features?

You need an address and a card to set up an Apple ID if I’m not mistaken. These have to be relevent to the country you’re in. Edit* At least for downloading apps. And I assume the same thing would apply to alternate stores.

 

[Marbles1]

You need an address and a card to set up an Apple ID if I’m not mistaken. These have to be relevent to the country you’re in. Edit* At least for downloading apps. And I assume the same thing would apply to alternate stores.

I've managed to do this to get a USA iTunes account in the past. I think I just used any old USA address and an iTunes gift card.

 

[cupcakes2000]

I've managed to do this to get a USA iTunes account in the past. I think I just used any old USA address and an iTunes gift card.

Really! Well that’s good news for anyone outside the EU wanting in then, assuming they don’t ‘fix’ it.

 

[Skyscraperfan]

That does not go far enough. After you buy an iPhone, it should not be Apple's business what you do with it. They should not require an Apple ID or even track what apps you install. The same is true for Android though.

Why this "notarization"? A notary is someone independent and not an Apple employee.

If Apple continues on this path, the EU might force Apple to give users the option to replace iOS with Android

 

[makitango]

Very eager to know the method in which they determine if you’re in the eu or not.

I live in the EU but my Apple ID is a U.K. based ID.

Apple ID country setting.

Change your Apple Account country or region - Apple Support

Before you update your location, you must spend your account balance, cancel your subscriptions, and get a payment method for your new country or region.

support.apple.com

Do you know that for certain? It seems obvious, and it’s what I would think, but I would like to actually know.

We'll know on March 6. Until then, this is a rumors site

This is some of the information that iOS checks to determine whether a device is eligible for sideloading and App Marketplaces, based on system reports and code seen by 9to5Mac:

• Apple ID billing address
• The user’s current location (apparently Apple is only checking the country and not a precise location for privacy reasons)
• The current region set in iOS settings
• The device class (whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, etc.)

I doubt it. As mentioned by other posters it’s likely to be Apple ID locked and likely location based on where you update to 17.4.

Ah ok. Thanks for that. So those things for me are an even split between an EU country and the U.K. - region and location is EU. App Store and billing is U.K.

To be honest, I am. That’s what the question is about. I can’t find what I’m looking for, so I’m asking an Apple forum full of competent beta testers to provide me with any info they might have. So - thanks but no thanks for the smarmy snark.

Apple's previous handling was that region-specific limitations (or freedoms) were dictated from the model number. An
MLKA3ZD/A, which is sold in Germany, would be eligible and an MLKA3B/A, which is from the UK, would not.

You can see this in multiple online discussions and also by the fact that some countries' citizens can't unlock Facetime no matter what account they create.
This is also the case with HK and mainland China where people just bought the HK model number and they were on the normal iCloud.

 

[jole]

Very eager to know the method in which they determine if you’re in the eu or not.

I live in the EU but my Apple ID is a U.K. based ID.

Apple ID. I have had US and FI Apple IDs for 10+ years. Each will play by the rules of their specific country.

 

[HQuest]

"In a support document, Apple has explained why alternative app stores, alternative payment options, and other updates are being limited to the EU, highlighting risks like fraud, scams, and other privacy threats."
They're not wrong though. Ripping companies off by demanding 30% commission in fact is scam.

One can always lower the 30% commission fee by developing their own phone, their own OS, their own marketplace, their own support mechanism, their own distribution and logistics (physical and logical) and set their own rules. After all, that is what the EU wants, competition.

 

[appleken]

Because of government intervention, EU users will have more freedom to do what they want with their iPhones than North American users. Funny how that works.

 

[USB-Adapter]

Apple's Core Technology Fee could also be prohibitively expensive for apps like Spotify that have millions of users.

Isn’t cheaper to pay €0,50 per user per year than 15% of €10,99 per user per month?

I think, apps with paid subscriptions got a good deal in the EU.

Does Apple provide a kill switch for developers to disable downloads of their apps at 999,999 installs per year?

 

[playtech1]

One can always lower the 30% commission fee by developing their own phone, their own OS, their own marketplace, their own support mechanism, their own distribution and logistics (physical and logical) and set their own rules. After all, that is what the EU wants, competition.

Which I think illustrates nicely the incredible hurdles to new competition in this market against the entrenched incumbents Apple and Google, hence justifying intervention in the market.

 

[cupcakes2000]

Apple's previous handling was that region-specific limitations (or freedoms) were dictated from the model number. An
MLKA3ZD/A, which is sold in Germany, would be eligible and an MLKA3B/A, which is from the UK, would not.

You can see this in multiple online discussions and also by the fact that some countries' citizens can't unlock Facetime no matter what account they create.
This is also the case with HK and mainland China where people just bought the HK model number and they were on the normal iCloud.

Interesting. In that case in my personal situation I’m golden, because I purchased mine from my EU based carrier.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

There isn't a single app, or type of app, that I don't have installed already that I'm wanting, but I might try this anyway with a new EU Apple ID. I'm from the US, but have close family living in Germany...already got permission to use their address if I want to try.

 

[contacos]

Apple's previous handling was that region-specific limitations (or freedoms) were dictated from the model number. An
MLKA3ZD/A, which is sold in Germany, would be eligible and an MLKA3B/A, which is from the UK, would not.

You can see this in multiple online discussions and also by the fact that some countries' citizens can't unlock Facetime no matter what account they create.
This is also the case with HK and mainland China where people just bought the HK model number and they were on the normal iCloud.

Did you even read my comment? I literally answered the „how“ haha it’s in the code

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Isn’t cheaper to pay €0,50 per user per year than 15% of €10,99 per user per month?

I think, apps with paid subscriptions got a good deal in the EU.

Does Apple provide a kill switch for developers to disable downloads of their apps at 999,999 installs per year?

That is €0,50 per user, premium or free, so they will be paying it for all the non-paying users as well.

 

[jole]

Do I read this right:

App developers have option to:

(1) stay with current App Store rules (30% commission but with reduced fees for subscriptions after 1y and small companies)

(2) switch to EU rules in EU. Distributing in Apple Store for 17% commission + 0.5 EUR / downloader / year. This may be more than 30% actually.

(3) switch to EU rules in EU. Same as (2), but in addition create an App Store. App Store downloads are charged 0.5 / user / year + 0.5 / user / app / year after 1M downloads + credit card fees (3% is using Apple). Hidden part is that the apps still need to comply with Apple App Store rules due to requirement for binary being same for all app stores.

(4) similarly to (3), but not distribute in Apple App Store at all. That allows the app to bypass all Apple App Store requirements, but it can be hard to find due to not being in apple App Store.

 

[User 6502]

Jeez.. How many more articles do we need about this.

It’s a monumental change and the EU once again made Apple to comply. It will be talked about for years to come, and with good reason.

 

[USB-Adapter]

There's going to be a fair bit of interest for folks from outside the EU, e.g. the UK to setup an EU Apple ID; and fund it with gift vouchers or something.

Picking Ireland or Malta, or any EU country where the iPhone has English as a language option would work I'd expect.

Why would you not want the choice of using these additional features?

How the turn tables!
It was always the other way around: we had to use UK/US Apple IDs to get newer and better apps, or Turkish or Indian Apple IDs to get cheaper subscriptions.

 

[klasma]

Apple's previous handling was that region-specific limitations (or freedoms) were dictated from the model number. An
MLKA3ZD/A, which is sold in Germany, would be eligible and an MLKA3B/A, which is from the UK, would not.

You can see this in multiple online discussions and also by the fact that some countries' citizens can't unlock Facetime no matter what account they create.
This is also the case with HK and mainland China where people just bought the HK model number and they were on the normal iCloud.

Thanks for that info, I hadn’t heard of that before. It’s surprising insofar as it would mean that if someone moves to Europe with a non-European iPhone, they couldn’t make use of what they now have a legal right to.

 

[makitango]

Interesting. In that case in my personal situation I’m golden, because I purchased mine from my EU based carrier.

What carrier is it? Many MVNOs source their devices from not only national stockpiles.

Did you even read my comment? I literally answered the „how“ haha it’s in the code

I did but I question that 9to5 article the same as that WSJ article. I know how Apple has been handling permissions in the past so I am naturally sceptical that they will abandon their provisioning scheme.

I mean it could still be true if those other app marketplaces are just apps inside their existing App Store, then all good and your strategy would suffice. Just, again, sceptical.

 

[klasma]

Why this "notarization"? A notary is someone independent and not an Apple employee

It’s basically Apple-speak for code signing. They only allow apps they have reviewed and approved of, and “notarization” is the process of creating a signed-by-Apple application package reflecting that approval, and probably also registering it in some Apple database.

 

[jole]

Isn’t cheaper to pay €0,50 per user per year than 15% of €10,99 per user per month?

I think, apps with paid subscriptions got a good deal in the EU.

Does Apple provide a kill switch for developers to disable downloads of their apps at 999,999 installs per year?

Today Spotify pays 0 for users who sign up and pay in web.

Going from there to paying 1 EUR / user / year (0.5 for App Store + 0.5 for app) is likely cheaper, but they would need people to go through hassle of installing their Spotify store and accepting all the privacy warnings associated with it. Also, they would lose some of the customers who today are still using Apple Store payment due to forcing them move (and re evaluate their situation).

Spotify likely still will save money by moving to their own App Store.

 

[cupcakes2000]

What carrier is it? Many MVNOs source their devices from not only national stockpiles.

If that type of thing is true then I doubt that this is the deciding factor. As @klasma said, it would open a whole host of possibilities for serious issues for Apple considering the size and diversity of the market.

 

[USB-Adapter]

Just for reference, I believe its the standard cut that game consoles demand for games in their stores.

Sadly, the game consoles aren’t part of the deal. I would love an Epic Games Store for Playstation/Xbox.

 

[Jay Tee]

If additional liabilities are imposed on Apple, it’s reasonable to expect additional cost in return.

 

[USB-Adapter]

Today Spotify pays 0 for users who sign up and pay in web.

Going from there to paying 1 EUR / user / year (0.5 for App Store + 0.5 for app) is likely cheaper, but they would need people to go through hassle of installing their Spotify store and accepting all the privacy warnings associated with it. Also, they would lose some of the customers who today are still using Apple Store payment due to forcing them move (and re evaluate their situation).

Spotify likely still will save money by moving to their own App Store.

Can’t you let your app in the Apple App Store, and just switch to the €0,50 / 17% / 10% model and use your own payment system to avoid paying the commission?