Apple is opening more of iOS in Brazil after reaching an agreement with the country’s competition regulator, giving developers new ways to distribute apps and process payments while keeping several Apple-controlled security and fee layers in place.
The changes, announced June 18, apply to developers with apps in Brazil beginning with iOS 26.5. Under the agreement with Brazil’s Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica, or CADE, developers can distribute iOS apps through authorized alternative app marketplaces, operate those marketplaces, offer payment processing outside Apple In-App Purchase, and direct users to web purchases for digital goods and services.
That makes Brazil the latest major market where Apple’s closed iPhone app model is being reshaped by competition policy. The practical result is not full sideloading in the Android sense. Apple is still requiring marketplace authorization, app notarization, disclosure sheets, transaction reporting, child-safety controls, and commissions on digital goods sold through both App Store and non-App Store paths.
What Changes for iPhone Apps in Brazil
For users, the headline change is choice. A developer can keep distributing through the App Store, offer alternative payment processing inside an App Store app, link users to a website to complete purchases, or make an app available through an alternative app marketplace once the required distribution path is in place.
For developers, Apple’s Brazil support page describes three main new lanes: payment options on the App Store, distribution through alternative app marketplaces, and operating an alternative app marketplace. Marketplace distribution still runs through App Store Connect and Apple’s APIs. Developers have to register marketplace details, provide identifiers, select apps eligible for alternative distribution, and notify marketplaces when updates are available.
Alternative marketplace operators also need Apple authorization. Apple says approved operators will be able to receive notarized apps from other Apple Developer Program members, let users download and install marketplace apps from a website, integrate with system functionality, and support backup and restore behavior. That keeps Apple as the gatekeeper for who can operate a marketplace, even as Brazil gains app-store competition.
Notarization Is Not the Same as App Review
Apple is drawing a clear line between App Review and notarization. Apps distributed outside the App Store will still go through a baseline notarization process, but Apple says that review is narrower than the full App Store process.
Notarization for iOS apps is meant to check that apps function as represented, avoid known malware or other serious security threats, respect basic privacy requirements, and do not mislead users about capabilities or costs. Apple also says notarized apps are encrypted and signed, checked during installation, and can be blocked from launching if Apple later determines that an installed app contains known malware.
That gives Brazil’s model a middle ground: regulators get a more open app distribution market, while Apple keeps a technical safety layer around installation. The tradeoff is that users may still need to understand the difference between an App Store app that went through Apple’s full content and commerce review and a notarized app distributed elsewhere.
The New Fee Structure Still Keeps Apple Paid
The Brazil changes reduce some commissions but do not remove Apple from app commerce. Apple says it will charge only on sales of digital goods and services, and developers that do not sell digital goods or services will not owe commissions or fees under the new terms.
For App Store apps in Brazil, Apple lists a 10 percent commission for participants in programs such as the App Store Small Business Program, Mini Apps Partner Program, Video Partner Program, and News Partner Program, as well as auto-renewable subscriptions after the first year. Other digital goods and services transactions carry a 21 percent commission. Developers that use Apple In-App Purchase add a separate 5 percent payment-processing fee.
For web-linked purchases from App Store apps, Apple’s store services commission is 10 percent for relevant small-business, mini-app, video-partner, and post-first-year subscription transactions, and 15 percent for other out-of-app offers. Apple says only sales made within seven days of the link tap are subject to that commission.
For apps distributed outside the App Store, Apple is using a 5 percent Core Technology Commission on paid apps and digital goods or services sold through alternative marketplaces. The same commission can apply to certain web-linked purchases and marketplace sales. Apple’s developer documentation says marketplace operators and developers are responsible for transaction reporting and applicable taxes when sales are processed outside Apple’s payment system.
Why Child Safety Became a Core Part of the Deal
Apple’s announcement repeatedly frames the Brazil settlement around privacy, security, fraud, scams, and child safety. That is partly a product-safety argument and partly a policy argument: Apple is trying to show regulators that it can comply with competition requirements without dropping all platform protections.
Apps in the Kids category on the App Store cannot include links that send users to websites to complete transactions. For users under 18, App Store apps that use alternative payment processing need a parental gate before purchase, and apps outside the Kids category must support parental purchasing controls. Apple says it is also working on a future API that will help parents monitor and approve purchases made outside Apple In-App Purchase.
Those requirements matter because payment links and third-party processors change who handles refunds, purchase history, subscription management, and fraud support. Apple says it will not be able to issue refunds or provide the same customer support for transactions completed outside its payment system. Users may also share payment data with additional parties.
Brazil Adds Pressure to Apple’s Global App Store Model
Brazil’s move follows similar pressure in Europe and Japan and adds another regional version of iOS app-market opening. TechCrunch noted that the Brazil changes arrive after Apple already adjusted its rules in other jurisdictions and in the U.S. for external payment links following the Epic Games case. MacRumors also highlighted the continuing fee structure, including the 5 percent commission on sales for apps distributed outside the App Store.
The larger pattern is clear: Apple is no longer defending one global App Store rulebook. Instead, it is building regional compliance models that preserve as much of its platform control, payment economics, and safety framing as regulators will allow.
That has consequences for developers. A company that sells an iOS app across the EU, Japan, Brazil, and the U.S. may face different payment flows, fee calculations, disclosure requirements, marketplace eligibility rules, and reporting obligations by region. The operational burden could be meaningful even when the policy goal is more competition.
What Developers Should Check Now
Apple says all current Apple Developer Program members must agree to the latest Developer Program License Agreement by July 6, 2026. Developers serving Brazil should review the new business terms even if they plan to stay entirely inside the App Store, because payment choices and link-out options now affect commission rates, disclosure requirements, refund handling, and customer support paths.
The immediate checklist is straightforward: confirm whether your app sells digital goods or services in Brazil, decide whether alternative payments are worth the support and reporting tradeoffs, review whether Kids-category or under-18 purchase rules apply, and assess whether an alternative marketplace would actually bring distribution upside compared with the operational cost.
For users, the change will likely show up more gradually. Alternative marketplaces need authorization, developers need to opt in, and apps distributed outside the App Store still need notarization. Brazil’s iPhone market is opening, but it is opening through a regulated, Apple-mediated version of competition rather than a sudden free-for-all.
