Apple will start rolling out iPadOS 18 to users globally on Monday. The update will include a significant new feature for users in Europe.
With iPadOS 18, Europeans can download and use apps from third-party app stores, thanks to the EU’s Digital Markets Act. The Act promotes competition and reduces large tech companies’ control over their platforms, which Apple initially opposed, but is now complying with. It’s also something Android tablet users have enjoyed for years, so it’s still nice to see the functionality finally expand to the iPad.
As a result of this measure, developers who have chosen to participate in the “Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU” can distribute their apps through third-party stores. They will also receive a reduced commission rate on sales made through these alternative channels.
With iPadOS 18, Europeans can also remove Safari as the default browser engine within apps. And iPhone users in the EU will also have the right to use alternative app stores, but not with iOS 18. This ability is expected to arrive in a later iOS release.
While this change is designed to bring competition to the marketplace, it’s also expected to leave Europeans without one of the most significant new features the iPhone maker is set to launch this year, Apple Intelligence. The company says it won’t roll out the AI product in the European Union, at least not for a while, because of privacy concerns stemming from the Digital Markets Act.
Apple is set to release iOS 18, iPadOS, watchOS 11, macOS Sequoia, and visionOS 2 on Monday. These updates will not include Apple Intelligence, which has been delayed until later this year across most platforms. The iPhone 16 and Apple Watch Series 10 are now available for preorder, with the first shipments arriving on Friday, September 20. These products come with iOS 18 and watchOS 11, respectively.
