Apple announces iOS App Store changes for Brazil that let iPhone developers distribute apps through authorized alternative marketplaces and use third-party payment methods for digital goods and services. The changes are tied to action by Brazil’s competition regulator, CADE, and take effect with iOS 26.5 and later, with developers able to integrate the new options immediately. Alternative marketplaces must be authorized by Apple and meet ongoing requirements, including a notarization process for iOS apps distributed outside Apple’s App Store. For apps that still use Apple’s App Store distribution, developers can offer an alternative payment option inside the app and/or direct users to a website to complete a transaction. Apple says the updates raise privacy and security risks for users, including children, and says it is adding safeguards such as notarization, marketplace authorization, and limits on external links and alternative payments for users under 18.
The announcements also include details on fees and commissions. Apple describes a lower maximum commission for some App Store transactions in Brazil compared with prior caps, and it outlines additional charges when apps use Apple’s in-app purchase system. The company says the Brazil rules extend the direction of similar regulatory outcomes in other regions, such as the EU, Japan, and South Korea.
