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 alternatives.

What changes

Brazilian developers enrolled in the Apple Developer Program can now distribute apps through alternative marketplaces, which must go through an authorisation process before they can operate. All apps distributed outside the App Store will still be subject to Apple’s Notarisation review, which combines automated checks with human review to screen for malware.

Developers can also offer their own payment processing for digital goods, bypassing Apple’s In-App Purchase system. Apple’s new fee structure for Brazil sets the App Store commission at 25 per cent, or 10 per cent for developers in qualifying programmes, with an additional 5 per cent fee when developers use Apple’s own payment system.

Users cannot sideload apps directly from the web. Apps distributed outside the App Store must still be offered through a registered alternative marketplace, and Apple’s approach follows the same template it introduced in the EU, where sideloading is similarly restricted to approved third-party stores.

The CADE settlement

CADE approved the settlement in December 2025, giving Apple 105 days to implement the changes. The regulator had been investigating Apple for anti-competitive practices related to App Store policies, including the requirement that developers use Apple’s payment processing and the prohibition on steering users to external purchase options.

Non-compliance carries fines of up to $27 million. All current members of the Apple Developer Program must agree to an updated licence agreement by 6 July 2026.

A global pattern

Apple’s concessions in the EU under the Digital Markets Act established the template that Brazil’s settlement largely follows. The EU required Apple to allow third-party app stores and alternative payment processing, but European regulators have since found that Apple is still violating the rules by preventing developers from freely steering consumers to cheaper purchasing options.

The EU experience suggests that opening the door to alternative distribution is only the first step. Developers have been divided on whether the changes are commercially meaningful, with Apple’s new fee structures often making it uneconomical for smaller companies to distribute outside the App Store.

Apple has emphasised child safety protections as part of the Brazilian implementation, including content restrictions and scam prevention measures. The company is also offering 30-minute online appointments for developers with questions about the changes.

The broader question is whether Brazil’s regulators will enforce the settlement more aggressively than the EU has. The case for alternative app stores remains strong in principle, but Apple’s track record suggests it will use every available mechanism to make its own App Store the path of least resistance.