Apple has been forced to disclose the number of monthly active users of its App Store in Europe, covering iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS, in order to comply with the European Union’s Digital Services Act, according to documents reported by 9to5 Mac.
Apple said that the iOS App Store has 101 million users in Europe, while iPadOS has 23 million. mac App Store has 6 million, tvOS App Store has 1 million and watchOS App Store has less than 1 million users.
Apple also says that less than 1 million people in Europe still use paid subscriptions to Apple Books and Podcasts each month (the report says these figures are based on an average of the six-month period ending January 2023).
The EU Digital Services Act sets out rules for “mega online platforms”, defined as those with more than 45 million active users per month. Apple said it treats each operating system’s App Store as a separate platform, so only the iPhone iOS App Store can be classified as a “very large” online platform.
However, Apple said it would “adapt” all of its App Stores to comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act, even though the law only requires the iOS App Store to be compliant. Apple said, “The goals of the DSA are consistent with Apple’s goal of protecting consumers from illegal content.”
The EU Digital Services Act has a different focus than the Digital Marketplace Act, which focuses on the monopoly power of online “gatekeepers”. The DSA could force Apple to support alternative app shops and app sideloads on the iPhone, at least for its European customers.
