iOS 26.2 to Allow Third-Party App Stores in Japan Ahead of Regulatory Deadline

[MacRumors]

Apple on Tuesday released the first beta of iOS 26.2 to developers, and it appears that the software will allow users in Japan to install alternative app marketplaces on their devices when it is released to the public in December.

According to a post shared on X by @Tzzlala, iPhones running the beta in Japan are able to install alternative app stores like AltStore PAL and Epic Games, and download apps from them, though Fortnite in-app purchases are currently region-blocked by Epic.

Apple only lets iPhone and iPad users based in the EU to install apps using alternative app marketplaces in addition to the App Store. The ability was introduced in iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 18 in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act, and Apple does not currently allow it in any regions outside the 27-member bloc. However, that's set to change.

In June 2024, the Japanese parliament approved and enacted legislation that requires Apple to allow third-party app stores and payment providers on the iPhone. The law seeks to curb the dominance of major tech firms like Apple in the smartphone market.

More recently, in August 2025, the Japan Fair Trade Commission established the Mobile Software Competition Act Guidelines. Under the new guidelines, platform operators like Apple and Google are banned from blocking or restricting the availability of alternative app stores and payment systems on their mobile operating systems.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1985857946082070604

The guidelines are set to come into effect by December 18, 2025, while Apple is expected to release iOS 26.2 in December, sometime between December 9 and December 16. Epic Games has already announced plans to bring Fortnite and its game store platform to iOS in Japan by late 2025.

Article Link: iOS 26.2 to Allow Third-Party App Stores in Japan Ahead of Regulatory Deadline

 

[DelayedGratificationGene]

Whatever. Still talking about this? As we have been seeing no one is crazy enough to risk leaving The Walled Garden and enter a neighborhood where all the bad guys are waiting for all your financials and everything else of yours. Yikes! The Walled Garden is one of the main reasons why 2b+ people buy iPhones in the first place! Duh!

 

[HouseLannister]

So between this and the Texas code, 26.2 is a regulator compliance update. Wonder how stuff like this further delays development of actual features and services. I'm looking at you, More Personal Siri.

 

[gvanvoor]

Wouldn't it be easier to just allow this worldwide like google did for the play store?

 

[jdavid_rp]

So between this and the Texas code, 26.2 is a regulator compliance update. Wonder how stuff like this further delays development of actual features and services. I'm looking at you, More Personal Siri.

I hope this indie and small company called Apple has enough employees so they don’t need to make the Artificial Intelligence Team to divert their attention to add a new entry in the array of countries that can install alternative marketplaces…

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Whatever. Still talking about this? No one is crazy enough to leave The Walled Garden and enter a neighborhood where all the bad guys are waiting for all your financials and everything else of yours. Yikes!

I am "crazy enough" to leave the walled garden. Actually I'm just not an idiot and can decide such things for myself, without Apple's help. Stop living in fear, friend.

Been doing fine with regular unwalled computers for 30 years.

 

[jdavid_rp]

I am "crazy enough" to leave the walled garden. Actually I'm just not an idiot and can decide such things for myself, without Apple's help.

Been doing just that with regular uncontrolled computers for 30 years.

Then switch to Android /s

I don’t know why people is trying that hard to scare people. We already know not to click weird links on mails or SMS, for example.
If someone doesn’t know the basics, it’s just the same risk for them.

 

[Rachid Vàzquez]

For once, the US are the last to get something 🤣

Troll mode off: as long as we can choose to keep access to the alternative store closed, no problem.

 

[saudor]

I am "crazy enough" to leave the walled garden. Actually I'm just not an idiot and can decide such things for myself, without Apple's help.

Been doing just that with regular uncontrolled computers for 30 years.

To be honest, the average macrumors reader is not representative of the general population that might let their kids rack up tens of thousands in IAPs. It's way easier to do that stuff on a phone vs desktop apps.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

To be honest, the average macrumors reader is not representative of the general population that might let their kids rack up tens of thousands in IAPs. It's way easier to do that stuff on a phone vs desktop apps.

It's plenty easy to do that in the walled garden, and has been for years.

 

[hare_star]

Oh no, I guess Apple needs to quit Japan.
I wish they’d finally finish that Jobs Mk2 rocket and proceed with the iMars Hegemony project to escape the evil oppression of Earth’s statist governments.

 

[nt5672]

Eventually we'll succeed and purge Apple's nanny rules and regulations. After all a lot of us are, in fact, adults.

Sadly, the younger generation seems to lack the ability to become adults and take responsibility for their own actions.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Good work Japan.
Hopefully others follow suit.

I wish Canada would get onboard, as I could potentially join in through that avenue in the future.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Wouldn't it be easier to just allow this worldwide like google did for the play store?

If sensible forward looking decision making on this issue were being implemented at Apple, then yes, absolutely.

Unfortunately, their combination of extreme hubris and pettiness will more likely see Apple roll with weirdly different restrictions by geographical region, all the way it until becomes almost comical.

Tim needs to re-evaluate where the world is at on this topic and take a new approach.
This existing approach doesn't make sense moving forward.

 

[KES3059A3]

I'd love to see numbers on how many EU users are actually using alternative app stores. The numbers have to be minuscule. The average consumer doesn't give two ducks about what App Store they use.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I'd love to see numbers on how many EU users are actually using alternative app stores. The numbers have to be minuscule. The average consumer doesn't give two ducks about what App Store they use.

Great! Then compliance shouldn't be an issue and nobody who's upset about it will even be impacted.

Let's get it rolled out worldwide and appease the regulators and move on with other issues Apple needs to address.

 

[ApostolisApo]

When did Japan join the EU? 🤔

 

[Nozuka]

So between this and the Texas code, 26.2 is a regulator compliance update. Wonder how stuff like this further delays development of actual features and services. I'm looking at you, More Personal Siri.

Must be so much work to add another country to the list... all their developers are working day and night and can't do anything else.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Must be so much work to add another country to the list... all their developers are working day and night and can't do anything else.

Oh, it's easy then?
Great!

I wish they'd just get ahead of this, and all the legal cases past, present and future, and roll it out everywhere so they can move on to other issues finally.

 

[klasma]

To be honest, the average macrumors reader is not representative of the general population that might let their kids rack up tens of thousands in IAPs. It's way easier to do that stuff on a phone vs desktop apps.

Obviously Apple is too incompetent to make those parental controls work.

 

[klasma]

Must be so much work to add another country to the list... all their developers are working day and night and can't do anything else.

They probably got bitten by trying to add Norway to the YAML file, and are super cautious now.

 

[klasma]

When did Japan join the EU? 🤔

They have been strengthening their ties: https://www.eujapanspa.jp/

 

[HouseLannister]

I hope this indie and small company called Apple has enough employees so they don’t need to make the Artificial Intelligence Team to divert their attention to add a new entry in the array of countries that can install alternative marketplaces…

Dunno. They sure took everyone off of App Library as soon as iOS 14 shipped. And I haven't seen Apple Intelligence get any better since 18.2. They can't even spare one engineer to put out an update to the M2 Mac Pro.

 

[samuraiQ]

Apple should have focused more on developing services tailored for the Japanese market.
They were probably told that by the Prime Minister as well.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

I’m surprised their answer to “curb the dominance” was not “foster the creation of a better product”. And, even here, half of the people don’t even use iPhones.

There hasn’t been a market taking actions like this where Apple has the far greater marketshare. It would appear the current state curbs their dominance quite well! (Yes, we all know it’s not about curbing their dominance. Like “for the children”, it’s just what’s said)

How quickly the world went from “HA HA HA, no keyboard, no chance!” to “We literally are unable to compete. We can think of nothing that is better that what they make!”