Apple No Longer Requires Developers to Be in the EU for Debugging iOS Alternative Browser Engines/NFC, etc.

Previously, under pressure from EU legislation, Apple announced it would open up iOS to alternative browser engines, third-party app stores, contactless applications, and web-based sideloading of apps within the EU.

However, Apple's clever maneuver was to comply with EU legal requirements while stipulating that developers must have an office within the EU. This was because only iPhones located within the EU could be used for debugging.

The Firefox browser development team had expressed frustration with this arrangement. They could offer a new version of Firefox based on the Gecko engine to EU users, but engineers in the US office were unable to develop and debug it.

Following numerous complaints from developers to the EU about Apple's tactics, the EU took notice. As a result, Apple has now lifted the developer region restriction, allowing developers to create apps for the EU market from any location.

In short, starting with the iOS 18.2 developer preview, developers located anywhere can now develop and test for the provisions opened in the EU version of iOS 18, including:

• Developing and testing third-party browser engines on iPhones outside the EU
• Developing and testing third-party alternative app markets on iPhones outside the EU
• Developing and testing NFC type applications on iPhones outside the EU
• Developing and testing the installation of signed apps via web sideloading on iPhones outside the EU

Although the development and testing restrictions have been lifted, most of these provisions are still only available to users within the EU. For example, even if a third-party alternative app store is developed, it can only serve EU users; users in other markets cannot use it.

There are some minor bugs in the iOS 18.2 developer preview concerning these adjustments. Non-developers installing the iOS 18.2 version can also install third-party alternative app stores, but these cannot actually be launched after installation.

Now that ordinary users can also opt for the developer preview, this issue might stem from user accounts not being registered with the Apple Developer Program. Perhaps there would be no problem launching for registered developers (so, could we bypass the EU-only restriction by registering a developer account? But there is a $99 annual fee to Apple).