Apple opens iOS to rival app stores in Brazil after antitrust settlement with CADE
TL;DR
Apple is opening iOS to alternative app marketplaces and third-party payment processing in Brazil, following a December 2025 antitrust settlement with CADE. The changes take effect with iOS 26.5 and follow the same template Apple introduced in the EU under the Digital Markets Act.
Apple on Wednesday announced changes to iOS in Brazil that will allow developers to distribute apps through alternative marketplaces, operate their own app stores, and process payments for digital goods outside Apple’s In-App Purchase system. The changes take effect with iOS 26.5 and stem from a settlement with Brazil’s competition regulator CADE.
Brazil now joins the European Union, Japan, and South Korea as jurisdictions where Apple has been compelled to open iOS to third-party app distribution. The pattern is becoming familiar: a regulator challenges Apple’s control of its ecosystem, and Apple complies while introducing new fees and restrictions that limit the commercial appeal of the...
Copyright of this story solely belongs to thenextweb.com. To see the full text click HERE
