TL;DRApple is opening iOS to alternative app marketplaces and third-party payment processing in Brazil, following a December 2025 antitrust settlement with CADE. The changes take effect with iOS 26.5 and follow the same template Apple introduced in the EU under the Digital Markets Act.
Apple on Wednesday announced changes to iOS in Brazil that will allow developers to distribute apps through alternative marketplaces, operate their own app stores, and process payments for digital goods outside Apple’s In-App Purchase system. The changes take effect with iOS 26.5 and stem from a settlement with Brazil’s competition regulator CADE.
Brazil now joins the European Union, Japan, and South Korea as jurisdictions where Apple has been compelled to open iOS to third-party app distribution. The pattern is becoming familiar: a regulator challenges Apple’s control of its ecosystem, and Apple complies while introducing new fees and restrictions that limit the commercial appeal of the alternatives.
What changes
Brazilian developers enrolled in the Apple Developer Program can now distribute apps through alternative marketplaces, which must go through an authorisation process before they can operate. All apps distributed outside the App Store will still be subject to Apple’s Notarisation review, which combines automated checks with human review to screen for malware.
