Apple Enables Alternative App Stores and Payments in Brazil with iOS 26.5
AAPL•Apple will allow Brazilian developers to distribute iOS apps through alternative marketplaces and process external payments beginning Thursday as part of iOS 26.5. The company agreed after a 2022 antitrust dispute to add notarization, marketplace authorization, youth safeguards and warn of increased malware and fraud risks.
1. Regulatory Settlement with CADE
Apple settled a 2022 dispute with Brazil’s antitrust authority and agreed in December to open its iOS ecosystem to alternative app distribution and payment methods.
2. Alternative Marketplaces and Payments
Starting Thursday with the iOS 26.5 update, developers in Brazil can publish apps on third-party marketplaces and link users to external websites for transactions outside Apple’s in-app purchase system.
3. Security Safeguards and Risks
Apple will require app notarization, authorize alternative marketplaces and enforce age-based content filters, while warning that third-party stores and payments may elevate malware, fraud and privacy threats.
