Apple has been forced to disclose the monthly active user count of its App Store in Europe in order to comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act. The disclosure revealed that the iOS App Store has 101 million users in Europe, while iPadOS has 23 million, indicating the immense popularity of Apple’s mobile devices in the region.
iOS App Store boasts 101 million active users in Europe
While the Mac App Store has 6 million users, the tvOS App Store has 1 million, and the watchOS App Store has less than 1 million users, Apple’s disclosure highlights the dominance of its mobile devices in the European market. In addition, less than 1 million people in Europe use Apple Books and Podcasts for paid subscriptions each month, according to Apple’s report.
The EU’s Digital Services Act aims to regulate “very large online platforms”, which are defined as platforms with over 45 million monthly active users. While Apple considers each operating system’s App Store as a separate platform, only the iPhone iOS App Store is classified as a “very large” online platform, with over 101 million monthly active users in Europe alone.
In response to the Digital Services Act, Apple has pledged to “adjust” all its App Stores in Europe to comply with the regulations, even though the law only requires compliance for the iOS App Store. The regulations set by the DSA include protecting children from advertising, limiting the spread of misinformation, and more, aligning with Apple’s goal of protecting consumers from illegal content.
However, the Digital Markets Act, another EU regulation, may force Apple to support alternative app stores and app sideloading on the iPhone, at least for its European customers. This could potentially have a significant impact on Apple’s app store revenue, as the company currently takes a 15%-30% commission on all app sales and in-app purchases made through its platform.
With further regulations on the horizon, it remains to be seen how Apple will adapt to the changing landscape of the digital marketplace.
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(Via)
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