Apple’s Improved 6-Step Install Flow Proves That Scare Screens and Deceptive Design Undermine Competition
In response to ongoing Digital Markets Act enforcement, Apple has significantly improved the process for installing alternative app stores from the web in the European Union with iOS 18.6 in July. They've reduced the install flow from 15 steps to 6, eliminating their former scare screen and its misleading message, and eliminated a dead-end that left the user stranded in iOS Settings. As a result, we've seen a stunning 60% decrease in player drop-off during attempts to install the Epic Games Store.
Prior to Apple's update, around 65% of users attempting to install the Epic Games Store on iOS were thwarted by Apple's deceptive design. After the update, the drop-off rate has gone from 65% down to around 25%, and continues on a downward trend as users upgrade to the new version of iOS.
For the first time, we are starting to see iOS users install the Epic Games Store with a success rate approaching Windows users and Apple's own Mac users.
Despite their significant strides to improve the store installation process, Apple's policy towards competing stores continues to violate the Digital Markets Act. They are thwarting competition through anticompetitive junk fees such as their Core Technology Fee, discriminatory policies retaliating against developers who support competing stores by making their terms on the iOS App Store worse, and by imposing an approval and notarization process in order to dictate product design decisions to competing app developers and store developers. These Apple policies are unlawful and stand in stark contrast to the operation of Apple's own Mac platform, which does none of these things.
As a result of these anticompetitive acts, developers have been willing to distribute far fewer mobile games through the Epic Games Store on iOS than the Epic Games Store on Android.
Android Install Flow Continues to Violate the Digital Markets Act and Consumer Laws
Unlike Apple, which made significant strides to improve iOS store installation at the prompting of the European Commission, Google continues to blatantly violate the Digital Markets Act with a 12-step install flow, a misleading scare screen that says software from prominent and reputable Google competitors "may be harmful.” On Android worldwide, Google's deceptive user interface sabotages Epic Games Store install attempts on Android more 50% of the time. Beyond the EU, Epic is challenging this behavior in the United States in the new Epic v. Google case.
iOS New 6-Step Install Flow
iOS 15-Step Install Flow for Users on iOS 18.6 and Older
Android 12-Step Install Flow
