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Apple announced<\/a> it will allow alternative app stores in Japan and will permit developers to process payments for digital goods and services outside of its own in-app purchase system in iOS. The iPhone maker is not making these changes because it wants to be more open; it\u2019s being forced \u2014 in this case, to comply with the country\u2019s Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA), which is now going into effect.<\/p>\n With this update<\/a>, Apple\u2019s App Store revenues are being impacted in another major market due to anticompetition laws and regulations. The company already has to comply with Europe\u2019s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which previously required the tech giant to allow for alternative app stores<\/a> and other changes. <\/p>\n In the U.S., Apple has been strong-armed into changing its in-payments system by way of the courts<\/a>, after a lawsuit from Fortnite maker, Epic Games. Though it was not declared a monopoly, the court decided Apple needed to give developers the right to process payments outside of its system if they chose. (The specifics around that order are still being worked out after an appeal partially reversed an earlier ruling.<\/a>)<\/p>\n As usual, in its announcement about the changes in Japan, Apple warned that alternative app marketplaces and payments open up \u201cnew avenues for malware, fraud, scams, and privacy and security risks.\u201d To mitigate those risks, the company said it worked with Japanese regulators to require an authorization process for app marketplaces (\u201cNotarization\u201d), which it says is designed to protect children specifically from inappropriate content and scams. <\/p>\n The fact that Apple has come up with a process to dial back the risk for alternative app stores indicates there has always been a technical solution at hand to balance the needs for both openness and security.<\/p>\n As in the EU, Apple has come up with a complex fee structure to ensure it doesn\u2019t lose much in the form of App Store revenue, while seemingly complying with the letter of the law.<\/p>\n Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, of course, was not silent on this matter, saying Fortnite will still not return to iOS in Japan because Apple is charging a 21% fee on third-party in-app purchases.<\/p>\n