Meta, the parent company of Facebook and WhatsApp, is planning to create its own download platform for apps. This is a consequence of the Digital Markets Act.
In a pilot project, the company is looking for developers who want to test a system in which Facebook users who click on an advertisement for an app can immediately download it via Facebook. In addition, they should not first go through an external app store. The developers could choose for themselves which payment system they work with.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) inspires the company to do so, which, among other things, should prevent monopolies on app stores. As ‘gatekeepers’ of large platforms, Apple and Google must open their platforms to alternative payment systems according to the new regulations.
Currently, mobile apps are mainly distributed through the app stores of Apple (publisher of iOS) and Google (publisher of Android), forcing app developers to use their payment systems. Technically, Google is a bit looser than Apple, as it allows side loading, but both companies have been embroiled in lawsuits for some time with app developers who no longer want to pay the surcharge for forced use of the app store.
The DMA was approved in the European Parliament last year and must tackle that system, among other things. The rules should come into effect in the spring of 2024. Meta already confirms to tech site The Verge that it is working on a pilot project. Microsoft also said that it wants to set up an alternative app store in Europe.
