Alternative iOS App Stores Only Work for 'Grace Period' When Outside of EU

https://www.macrumors.com/2024/03/06/alternative-ios-app-stores-eu-grace-period/

by tcfhgj • 2 years ago

49 80 2 years ago

macrumors.com

catlikesshrimp3• 2 years ago

I would suggest with candor using a vpn (kill switch) but that is probably covered (by apple)

Next comes vpn through a router

Next comes turning off the radios (airplane mode) but I forgot radios don't completely turn off in iphones (feature)

Next would come the tinfoil hat (faraday cage) stage /s

extraduder_ire2• 2 years ago

Airplane mode doesn't disable receiving radios, like GNSS chips.

I have to assume that's why they mentioned that they wouldn't "collect" your location data, but the phone likely will.

patapong• 2 years ago

Restricting updates of apps after the grace period seems risky from a security perspective... It could leave apps with critical vulnerabilities in circulation for too long.

blackbear_• 2 years ago

Eh? That can't be right! I thought Apple cared about their customers? /S

Workaccount2• 2 years ago

Right, so in order to avoid this security risk it is imperative you only use the Apple app store.

What is the name for this behavior? A protection racket?

frameset• 2 years ago

Tim Cook chomping on a cigar: "It'd be a shame if something unfortunate was to happen to those nice apps of yours..."

ImHereToVote• 2 years ago

"Nice device you gotz there. Wud be a real shame if some sort of malicious-like character wud getz his hands on it. Capeesh?"

thefz• 2 years ago

Remember that this is an artificial limitation imposed by Apple, not by the EU.

madeofpalk3• 2 years ago

For whatever it's worth, I would expect any security vulnerability in an iOS app to be a vulnerability of iOS itself, and not the app.

kjreact3• 2 years ago

By your logic Unix is insecure just because an admin is allowed to install a trojan? The OS itself cannot stop the user from installing malicious software.

bee_rider11• 2 years ago

Just disable the apps, then the vulnerabilities don’t matter.

extraduder_ire2• 2 years ago

On a somewhat related note, I love the pizazz the European Commission is demonstrating on their DMA website. ( https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/index_en )

There's a ticking countdown labelled "Compliance time!", currently at 01DAYS 08HOURS 21MINUTES 21SECONDS as of writing, with the 7 March 2024 at 22:59 deadline below.

baggy_trough• 2 years ago

Luv that time to become "compliant".

input_sh• 2 years ago

DMA became a regulation in Nov 2022, they had like 18 months.

Like with GDPR, everyone waited until the last second.

bhaney• 2 years ago

I vaguely (and very possibly incorrectly) remember something about the GDPR still applying to EU citizens who are traveling outside of the EU. Does the same kind of thing not apply to these new digital marketplace laws?

ktosobcy• 2 years ago

AFAIR gdpr is not based on location but on citizenship so even if you are outside of the EU they should not be able to process your data (thus quite a lot of places improved either the process or blocked EU users)..

App store should be the same, especially considering that you configure location in your iPhone profile so that should be relevant here..

malermeister5• 2 years ago

I'm an EU citizen living in the US. I'm pretty sure this is a violation of my rights. Do I have standing to sue?

lobsterthief• 2 years ago

No, because the EU has no jurisdiction in the US.

malermeister5• 2 years ago

The EU has jurisdiction over EU citizens.

apocalyptic0n3• 2 years ago

Under GDPR, I believe they do (at least in EU courts). It's a law that applies to EU citizens, not just to EU jurisdictions. I do not know if that is the case with the DMA, however.

(Note: not a EU citizen but have had to deal with something related in the past)

dkjaudyeqooe9• 2 years ago

Wrong, he doesn't stop being a EU citizen just because he's in the US, EU law still applies.

supermatt3• 2 years ago

Did you purchase your iPhone in the EU? A product sold in the EU is subject to EU law. Other laws may also be applied depending on where it is physically, but those EU laws will always still apply. Those are the conditions under which products are allowed to be sold in the EU. If they don't want to abide by those rules, then they just need to not sell the items in the EU.

bee_rider11• 2 years ago

The way the legal system works in the US is that anybody can sue anybody, but if your case is dumb you’ll probably get tossed out. Might be expensive, etc. If you are serious about this, you’ll need a lawyer, so you can start by finding one and asking them.

My layman guess: you’ll have about as much luck an American who expects their second amendment rights to be honored worldwide.

malermeister5• 2 years ago

I'm not talking about suing in a US court. I'm talking about suing in an EU court.

dkjaudyeqooe9• 2 years ago

If you bought the phone in the EU, then yes.

This is just more bullshit from Apple. They can't take your rights away just because you're not physically in the EU. If you have an EU phone, then it should work with alternate stores everywhere.

You won't need to sue, Apple will reverse itself soon enough.

kyriakos2• 2 years ago

I doubt law works that way. If you visit a country where smoking weed is illegal you still get arrested even if its legal in your country.

badgersnake2• 2 years ago

Are there even any alternative App Stores?

graftak3• 2 years ago

Did you read the article at all? At least 3 are planned, one of which by Epic who have been pushing for alternative app stores for years.

badgersnake2• 2 years ago

Yeah I read it. As you say, the ones they mention are planned. So not available.

If there are none, this seems pretty moot right now. Things may change should people actually start using them in large numbers.

graftak3• 2 years ago

Unless the grace period is a year or more this is just another finger to apples customers and European legislation (which will likely receive a patch if Apple are too skimpy with the grace period duration).

testfrequency• 2 years ago

I suppose all future lawsuits with Apple need to be hyper hyper detailed in order to prevent Apple from making these half-ass “good faith” attempts at doing the bare minimum, definitely not in good spirit of the law at all.

I’m honestly a bit taken back by how hostile they are acting. Apple genuinely seems to be in their Microsoft era now and it’s not looking good for them. They should be ashamed of themselves.

This is going to be a security and compliance issue when EU citizens are traveling for work for extended periods, and now they can’t patch apps.

Was this Apple’s goal all along, to force people into using their official App Store? Why do they not put these rules on their own App Store?

supermatt3• 2 years ago

Not really. In the EU, the emphasis lies on interpreting the spirit of the law rather than its letter - known as "teleological interpretation". It seems apples (and other big tech) lawyers constantly make this mistake :)

prmoustache2• 2 years ago

If only people would stop pretending that IPs have a geographical location. They don't. And never will.

Hamuko2• 2 years ago

Your phone most definitely has a geographical location though, and also a GPS receiver.

prmoustache2• 2 years ago

I can disable it on Android, I hope you can do it on iOS too.

supermatt3• 2 years ago

So now apple think that my rights as a consumer for products I purchased in the EU don't apply when i am away from the EU? How much longer will the EU tolerate this behaviour before we start seeing fines in the billions.

malermeister5• 2 years ago

The DMA allows for fines of up to 10% of total worldwide turnover. I'm not sure this is a fight Apple should be picking.

bee_rider11• 2 years ago

Apple seems to be bouncing ideas off the EU with respect to compliance here. Realistically I guess they have one “grace period,” however long that is, before they start violating anybody’s rights. So, they could take that time to negotiate with the EU and come up with a way to prove your EU citizenship outside the EU.

I don’t think the EU cares to protect us Americans just because we imported a phone from the EU. So, I bet it’ll be citizenship based somehow.

kyriakos2• 2 years ago

Residency not citizenship. A country's laws apply to anyone in the country not just its citizens. Technically if you are American visiting EU the DSA consumer protection applies to you the moment you land.

bhpm• 2 years ago

Are the alternative app stores hosted on Apple servers? Serious question.

dkjaudyeqooe9• 2 years ago

I hear that Apple will be disabling the USB C port and it will only work with Lightning adaptors while you're in the US.

6510• 2 years ago

the dongle company ecocide

mirzap3• 2 years ago

Tim Cook must leave before he destroys Apple. They are indeed modern-day Microsoft. Apple needs its Satya Nadella before it's too late.

I really hope Europe slaps them a 20b fine for this mockery. This is obviously illegal. Europe doesn't care about the broders, it cares about rights it's citizens.

dkjaudyeqooe9• 2 years ago

I don't understand how they can think that their malicious compliance strategy will work out for them. It's a PR disaster.

Who does Cook have advising him? Elon Musk?

tourmalinetaco• 2 years ago

The average Apple fan hardly cares, they happily believe that a walled garden “protects” them from malware.

Alternative iOS App Stores Only Work for 'Grace Period' When Outside of EU

Related Stories