Apple's loosening its grip on the iPhone again — this time in Brazil.
The company announced Thursday that developers in Brazil can now distribute iOS apps through alternative app stores and process payments for digital goods outside Apple's own system. The changes come as part of an agreement with Brazil's competition regulator, the Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Econômica (CADE).
It's the third major market where Apple's been forced to open up. The European Union led the way in 2024 under the Digital Markets Act, and Japan followed earlier this year with its own regulatory push.
The Brazil deal means developers can skip Apple's 15% to 30% commission on in-app purchases by using their own payment processors. They can also set up rival app marketplaces — meaning you could soon download an app from a store that isn't the App Store.
Apple still gets a cut, though. The company says it'll charge a reduced commission for apps distributed through alternative stores, though it hasn't published the exact rate yet.
CADE launched its investigation into Apple's App Store practices back in 2022, after Brazilian e-commerce giant Mercado Livre filed a complaint. The regulator argued that Apple's rules stifled competition and hurt consumers by forcing developers to use its payment system and charging high fees.
Mercado Livre, which runs a popular digital marketplace and payment service in Latin America, had accused Apple of anticompetitive behavior — specifically, blocking apps from directing users to external payment links.
The agreement is temporary. Apple and CADE will monitor the changes for three years to see if they actually increase competition. If they don't, CADE could reopen the case and impose stricter measures.
For Brazilian developers, the shift is immediate. They can start submitting apps to alternative stores and integrating third-party payment systems right away. For users, the impact will take longer — rival app stores need to be built and approved before anyone can actually download from them.
Apple's walled garden has been a cash cow. The App Store generates tens of billions of dollars in revenue each year, mostly from commissions on digital purchases. But regulators worldwide are chipping away at that model, arguing that Apple has too much control over what happens on its own devices.
Brazil is the largest economy in Latin America and a huge smartphone market — roughly 85% of the country's 215 million people use a smartphone, and the vast majority run iOS or Android. Any change in Brazil forces Apple to adapt to a market where regulators are increasingly willing to challenge Big Tech.
The company didn't say whether it plans to make similar changes in other countries. But the pattern is clear: every time one regulator wins concessions, others cite that precedent in their own cases.