Apple announces a change in the French App Store

The App Store has been at the heart of the Apple ecosystem since its launch in 2008. It allows iPhone and iPad users to download millions of apps securely, but the platform is not without criticism .

Recently, a study conducted by Setapp revealed thatnearly a third of Mac developers avoid the App Store. The reasons given? Rules too strict and a commission considered excessive.

However, a significant change is on the horizon for the App Store in France, and it should not help things for these developers. The latter have anyway turned to other solutions on Mac, such as Setapp Mobile, which is alsorecently available on iPhone.

A new classification in sight

Apple has just announced a change to its age rating system for the French App Store. This decision aims tostrengthen the protection of minorson the platform. The main change concerns apps currently rated 17+.

Soon, these apps willautomatically be classified as 18+. This new label appears alongside Apple's overall rating. The Cupertino company specifies that no action is required from the developers for this update.

Implications for users

This change will impact the experience of French App Store users. Parents benefit from aclearer vision of accessible contentto their children. In addition, it could help certain parental controls to better filter content prohibited to minors.

For developers, however, this new classification couldinfluence the visibility of their applications. Apps upgraded to 18+ risk being less easily discovered by young audiences. This could encourage certain publishers to review the content of their applications to avoid this restrictive classification,while some were already complaining about the restrictions.

Apple continues its efforts to make the App Store more secure and transparent. This initiative is part of a global trend that we have been observing for two years: the increased regulation of digital platforms. DMA type legislation is popping up all over the world, with some good and some not so good.