Japan law opening phone app stores to go into effect
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Japan law opening phone app stores to go into effect
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Re: Japan law opening phone app stores to go into effect
#2JFTC'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.
Re: Japan law opening phone app stores to go into effect
#3Some 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)
Re: Japan law opening phone app stores to go into effect
#4Sony and Nintendo stores are still closed I see lol
Re: Japan law opening phone app stores to go into effect
#5Sony and Nintendo stores are still closed I see lol
Sony and Nintendo only sell games. They don't gate access to banks, investments, health insurance, auto insurance, news, movies, social media, car control apps, appliance apps, grocery stores, e-commerce, etc...
That's not to say Sony and Nintendo shouldn't be opened too but their impact is much smaller (game devs) than Apple (nearly all businesses)
Re: Japan law opening phone app stores to go into effect
#6Sony and Nintendo stores are still closed I see lol
Sony and Nintendo only sell games. They don't gate access to banks, investments, health insurance, auto insurance, news, movies, social media, car control apps, appliance apps, grocery stores, e-commerce, etc... That's not to say Sony and Nintendo shouldn't be opened too but their impact is much smaller (game devs) than Apple (nearly all businesses)
Apple didn’t start that way though. Better to open it up now no? Also, a better law would be making the web first class, not adding more stores, with other gatekeepers…
Re: Japan law opening phone app stores to go into effect
#7Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sony and Nintendo only sell games. They don't gate access to banks, investments, health insurance, auto insurance, news, movies, social media, car control apps, appliance apps, grocery stores, e-commerce, etc... That's not to say Sony and Nintendo shouldn't be opened too but their impact is much smaller (game devs) than Apple (nearly all businesses)
Apple didn’t start that way though. Better to open it up now no? Also, a better law would be making the web first class, not adding more stores, with other gatekeepers…
> Also, a better law would be
No, the better law is the one that exists.
Yours doesn't.
Re: Japan law opening phone app stores to go into effect
#8Sony and Nintendo stores are still closed I see lol
Sony and Nintendo only sell games. They don't gate access to banks, investments, health insurance, auto insurance, news, movies, social media, car control apps, appliance apps, grocery stores, e-commerce, etc... That's not to say Sony and Nintendo shouldn't be opened too but their impact is much smaller (game devs) than Apple (nearly all businesses)
It should be pointed out that they have way less of a monopoly on the market and way more gaming alternatives exist than Apple and Google.
Apple, Google. Two app stores that are basically necessary for existing in the modern world with a smartphone, which include apps covering Japanese government services.
In the gaming space, you’ve got PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop, Steam, Epic Game Store, GOG, a bazillion publisher storefronts, Apple and Google (again), Itch.io, physical media for the big 3 consoles at dozens of brick and mortar retailers, or even installing games directly with no store at all (Minecraft originated from its own online purchase portal).
Re: Japan law opening phone app stores to go into effect
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
Apple didn’t start that way though. Better to open it up now no? Also, a better law would be making the web first class, not adding more stores, with other gatekeepers…
> Also, a better law would be No, the better law is the one that exists. Yours doesn't.
Laws aren’t inherently good though… we will see what this does for Japan, I guess.
Re: Japan law opening phone app stores to go into effect
#10how does this interact with Google's push to sign all apps?