Epic Games says Apple’s decision to reduce the iOS alternative app store install flow from 15 steps to 6 proves its earlier “scare screens” and complex design discouraged competition. The change, introduced in iOS 18.6 for users in the European Union, removed intimidating warning messages and a dead-end in Settings that previously caused many installation attempts to fail.
Epic Games argues that the impact of this update proves its point: Apple’s earlier design choices actively discouraged competition. According to Epic’s statement, installation failures for the Epic Games Store dropped by 60% after the redesign, with success rates now close to what users see on Windows and macOS.
Epic maintains that Apple’s broader policies still restrict fair competition as the company continues to oppose the Core Technology Fee, which requires developers to pay €0.50 for each install beyond the first million, and criticizes Apple’s rules penalizing developers that distribute apps through rival stores. Epic also points out that Apple’s notarization and approval requirements allow it to exert control over app design and user experience in ways that competitors cannot.
The company also highlighted Google’s practices on Android, where users face a 12-step flow with multiple warning prompts suggesting that rival app stores “may be harmful.” Epic claims this approach causes more than half of installation attempts for the Epic Games Store on Android to fail, which it argues shows the same anticompetitive pattern. Epic is challenging Google’s behavior both under the EU’s Digital Markets Act and in its Epic v. Google lawsuit in the United States.
Regulators in Europe have made it clear that Apple’s practices are under ongoing review as part of DMA enforcement. The fact that installation success rates rose dramatically after Apple simplified the flow underscores Epic’s claim that the earlier design was not about safety, but about discouraging alternatives to the App Store. On macOS, Apple does not impose comparable scare screens or lengthy approval steps, which further highlights the inconsistency across its platforms and strengthens Epic’s argument that the iOS restrictions are about competition, not security.
While Apple’s new six-step install process has improved outcomes for users in the EU, Epic says it also demonstrates how Apple’s previous design undermined fair competition. Regulators in Europe and the U.S. continue to monitor both Apple and Google closely, ensuring that app store fairness remains a central issue in the debate over digital markets.
