App Store exclusivity will end in Europe at the beginning of 2024 with the arrival of so-called "sideloading" which will allow us to install applications from stores other than the official Apple application store, but for now only in Europe.
The war between developers and Apple has a new battle lost by the technology giant, at least in Europe. Installing apps from outside the App Store will be possible in Europe from the first half of 2024. Apple's App Store will no longer be the only source of apps, and We can install apps from other stores, giving the opportunity for new "alternative App Stores" to appear from companies like Epic Games, for example, which will no longer have to pay what it itself calls a "revolutionary tax" to Apple for having its applications in its official store.
How is this going to be carried out? It is not yet clear, but it does seem decided that it will be something that, for now, will only happen in Europe, although it is more than likely that a similar law will end up being approved in the United States and therefore this measure will be extended to North American territory. Apple is against this measure, but She has no choice but to accept it or she could be punished with a fine of up to 20% of her global income. in Europe, something that Cupertino surely does not want to risk happening.
In order to ensure security for users, Apple could require some type of certification to have an application store for iPhone and iPad, something that Apple itself would grant after the essential payment of the corresponding fee. This verification system already occurs in macOS, although you always have the possibility of installing apps from any source, whether certified or not.