alt Hacker NewsJapan law opening phone app stores to go into effect
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> But some public comments released by the commission expressed concern that the legislation could undermine user security.
I'm constantly amazed by how many people have fallen for this trick.
JFTC's full 'Mobile Software Competition Act Guidelines' are available here : https://www.jftc.go.jp/file/MSCA_Guidelines_tentative_transl...
Curious to see how Apple and Google are going to circumvent this.
It seems we in EU got the worst implementation for apple malicious compliance. It should have been similar like this one Japan from the beginning.
I really hope that Japanese developers take advantage of this situation to show off at least some of the creativity that's possible when we're not quite as limited by Apple's restrictions. I don't doubt that from a 'security' point of view, Apple is going to continue to enforce all sorts of things that make it wildly more difficult to use the supercomputer in our pockets than I would like. But nonetheless, perhaps this gives a bit of room to be a little more illustrative.
I know that from time to time people have argued that jailbreaking should have resulted in more creativity if it were going to, but with that tiny, tiny market, it's hard to believe that many developers, relatively speaking, would have been able to go hard at building something custom and impressive. With this larger market, hopefully folks will get the chance to do that now.
I misread the title as "Japan jaw-opening phone app stores to go into effect"... strange imagery...
What is the enforcement plan? What will the penalties be for noncompliance?
how does this interact with Google's push to sign all apps?
Some background:
Japan to open up Apple and Google app stores to competition (2023)
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36368735
Japan enacts law to promote competition in smartphone app stores (2024)
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40662176
iOS 26.2 to allow third-party app stores in Japan ahead of regulatory deadline (Nov 2025)
Sony and Nintendo stores are still closed I see lol
Nice. Someone is doing something. Apple's app store monopoly together with a 30% commission is a modern form of way-laying.
Meanwhile Google is trying to go the opposite way with mandatory developer registration/verification. In the US we will likely let them. Who needs freedom if there is money to make (and Google is just making a fake security argument.)
It shouldn't be that hard to do with my phone what I want, including accepting the consequences of my actions.