Epic Games is not stopping at Steam. The powerhouse behind Unreal Tournament and the cultural phenomenon Fortnite is now aiming at the Android ecosystem, providing gamers and creators with a new option to discover and distribute games outside of iOS boundaries.
As an iPhone user living outside the EU, I couldn’t help but ask: isn‘t it about time that iOS users were given some choices as well?
More Competition Means More Choice for Everyone
When competition increases, it‘s always the consumer who benefits. Whether you are talking about mobile apps or monthly subscriptions, monopolies result in higher prices, reduced innovation, and fewer options.
Apple, outside the EU, has a tight lock on app distribution. Its App Store is the gatekeeper—your sole means to install, update, and purchase apps. While this setup introduced much-needed order in 2008, it has become a fortress ever since, excluding most third-party options.
The App Store: Innovation That Became Restriction
Apple prides itself on its closed platform as a secure environment for consumers, due to strict app approval policies and controls over privacy. In fact, iOS apps are sandboxed and users have tight control over features such as location, media access, and storage. Is it reason enough, however, to shut out the entire other set of stores?
Consider the Mac—it gladly accommodates both Apple‘s App Store and outlets such as Steam. Why won’t the iPhone be just as flexible?
Epic Games Is Expanding Android‘s Gaming Frontier
Tech journalist Bertel King has already seized on the Epic Games Store on Android, mentioning exclusive game titles that can be found nowhere else on Google Play, such as Figment 1 & 2 and The Forest Quartet.
Epic‘s playbook is clear: lure developers with proposals such as its “Epic First Run“ program, providing 100% of the revenue for a six-month exclusive window, and after that, switching to an 88/12 developer-friendly split—much more favorable than Apple‘s 70/30.
This strategy could compel Apple to rethink its policies. Everyone wins: Developers win, customers win, and competition wins. Even if you are dealing with numerous stores, apps auto-update by most modern platforms and have support for cross-platform features, so the resistance is low. Discovery Is the App Store‘s Weakest Link
One of the App Store’s biggest flaws is its discoverability. It’s hard to find fresh, high-quality apps unless you’re actively searching or following a recommendation on social media. The app charts are saturated with freemium clutter and repeat titles.
Compare this to Steam, which offers robust recommendations, discounts, and personalized queues. Features like wishlists—something Apple quietly scrapped—make it easier to stay engaged with the platform.
A gaming-focused marketplace, like what Epic is trying to push on Android, could revitalize mobile app discovery. Third-Party App Stores Can Free Apple‘s Chains
The most powerful argument for adopting third-party stores is liberty from Apple‘s draconian App Store policies. Although Apple continues to run a simple security scan on all apps, regardless of their origins, alternative stores can carry content that Apple would otherwise prohibit.
This is perfect for niche or test apps. Consider emulators, for example: Apple did not permit them until 2024, probably to slow the momentum of EU alternative stores. With apps such as Delta and RetroArch now on offer, it‘s obvious that competition pushed Apple to make a change.
The EU Paved the Way—Will the Rest of the World Follow?
Thanks to recent new rules, EU users now access an expanding number of third-party marketplaces, including platforms such as AltStore and Setapp‘s new app delivery model. And guess what? The digital sky hasn‘t fallen. If anything, Apple is evolving, not crashing.
Final Thoughts: Let the Market Decide
Epic‘s push onto Android represents a larger distribution of games and apps. And although iOS customers continue to inhabit Apple‘s rigorously controlled walled garden, change is well under way inside the EU. As developers win bargaining power and consumers call for greater freedom, Apple‘s enclosed garden mightn’t last much longer.
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