New third-party iOS app stores in Japan protect privacy, safety

Apple is introducing alternative app stores and payment options in Japan to comply with a new competition law, while maintaining that platform-level security and child safety controls remain in place.

Apple compares this approach with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which compelled Apple to support third-party app stores, alternative payments, and broader distribution pathways. The company maintains those requirements fragmented oversight in ways Japan’s law avoids.

For iPhone users, the changes expand app distribution choices without fully dismantling Apple’s platform-level controls. Apple is using Japan’s rollout to highlight what it sees as shortcomings in the EU’s DMA, while arguing that competition and user protections can coexist.

Alternative app stores with authorization

In Japan, developers can distribute iOS apps through alternative app marketplaces, but those marketplaces must be approved by Apple. The company says authorization ensures a single accountable operator for discovery, updates, and user support.

Under Japan’s law, Apple is not required to support unrestricted app downloads from the open web. The company says alternative distribution can remain limited to the App Store and approved marketplaces, preserving a clear point of accountability for app discovery and updates.

Apple contrasts that with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which required support for broader app distribution pathways, including installs outside curated marketplaces. The company argues that approach increased malware risk and reduced user clarity around app sources.

Apps downloaded outside the App Store will not receive full App Review, but Apple will still apply baseline security checks through notarization. The Mac, where notarization already applies to apps distributed outside the App Store, is a precedent Apple points to for maintaining consistency without unrestricted web installs.

Apple argues Japan’s framework allows it to apply the same baseline security checks across all apps, regardless of distribution method. The company says keeping notarization universal avoids shifting responsibility entirely to third-party marketplaces.

In Europe, Apple claims the DMA has moved enforcement responsibilities away from the platform. This change limits Apple’s ability to apply consistent protections across various distribution methods.

Notarization as a baseline safety check

All iOS apps in Japan, regardless of where they are distributed, must pass Apple’s notarization process. Apple describes notarization as a limited review focused on malware detection, functional integrity, and serious security threats.

Developers on the App Store in Japan can continue using Apple’s in-app purchase (IAP) system or add alternative payment methods. Apple says such purchases remain visible alongside any alternative option, making the payment provider clear to users.

When users choose Apple IAP, Apple retains refund handling, subscription management, and purchase history tools. Apple says those protections do not apply when developers route payments elsewhere.

Child safety as a platform-level control

Age ratings and parental controls remain enforced at the iOS level, rather than delegated to individual marketplaces, according to Apple. Developers must continue providing age ratings, while access is governed by Apple ID age data, Screen Time, and Family Sharing.

These tools have long been positioned as core parts of iOS, with features like Ask to Buy, content restrictions, and app-level controls already available to parents. Apple argues those systems depend on centralized enforcement.

Under Japan’s law, Apple says companies are allowed to prioritize safeguards for younger users rather than applying identical rules to children and adults. The company says that flexibility lets it extend existing parental controls to new payment and distribution models.

By contrast, Apple argues EU rules didn’t differentiate between minors and adults at the platform level, pushing more safety decisions into marketplace or developer implementations.

For apps that offer alternative payments, Apple requires additional safeguards for younger users, including parental consent flows. The company says keeping those rules at the platform level avoids inconsistent protections across different app stores.

Why Apple prefers Japan’s model

Apple presents Japan’s law as regulated openness rather than deregulation. Alternative distribution is allowed, but only within a framework the company says preserves platform accountability.

By contrast, Apple argues the EU’s DMA reduced oversight in ways that fragmented enforcement and weakened parental controls. The company points to recent European changes as evidence that broader openness can introduce content and security risks it previously blocked.

The Japan-specific changes are available starting with iOS 26.2, and Apple says developers can begin integrating the new options immediately. Whether Apple pushes similar structures elsewhere will depend on how other regulators balance competition with platform responsibility.