Microsoft Announces New Set of 'Open App Store Principles, Commits to Allow Sideloading, Third Party Payments, Alternate App Stores

Microsoft announced a new set of 'Open App Store Principles' today which directly contrast Apple's controversial App Store policies.

The company committed to allow sideloading of applications, third party payment processing, and alternative app stores.

Here's a look at the 11 principles Microsoft announced:


Quality, Safety, Security & Privacy
1. We will enable all developers to access our app store as long as they meet reasonable and transparent standards for quality and safety.
2. We will continue to protect the consumers and gamers who use our app store, ensuring that developers meet our standards for security.
3. We will continue to respect the privacy of consumers in our app stores, giving them controls to manage their data and how it is used.

Accountability
4. We will hold our own apps to the same standards we hold competing apps.
5. We will not use any non-public information or data from our app store to compete with developers’ apps.

Fairness and Transparency
6. We will treat apps equally in our app store without unreasonable preferencing or ranking of our apps or our business partners’ apps over others.
7. We will be transparent about rules for promotion and marketing in our app store and apply these consistently and objectively.

Developer Choice
8. We will not require developers in our app store to use our payment system to process in-app payments.
9. We will not require developers in our app store to provide more favorable terms in our app store than in other app stores.
10. We will not disadvantage developers if they choose to use a payment processing system other than ours or if they offer different terms and conditions in other app stores.
11. We will not prevent developers from communicating directly with their customers through their apps for legitimate business purposes, such as pricing terms and product or service offerings.


Additionally, Microsoft says it's also committing that:
● We will continue to enable developers to choose whether they want to deliver their apps for Windows though our app store, from someone else’s store, or “sideloaded” directly from the internet.
● We will continue to give developers timely access to information about the interoperability interfaces for Windows that our own apps use.
● We will enable Windows users to use alternative app stores and third-party apps, including by changing default settings in appropriate categories.

Notably, the company also addresses criticism of its Xbox store and says it plans to close the gap between those policies and its new policies for the Windows store.

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Some may ask why today’s principles do not apply immediately and wholesale to the current Xbox console store. It’s important to recognize that emerging legislation is being written to address app stores on those platforms that matter most to creators and consumers: PCs, mobile phones and other general purpose computing devices. For millions of creators across a multitude of businesses, these platforms operate as gateways every day to hundreds of millions of people. These platforms have become essential to our daily work and personal lives; creators cannot succeed without access to them. Emerging legislation is not being written for specialized computing devices, like gaming consoles, for good reasons. Gaming consoles, specifically, are sold to gamers at a loss to establish a robust and viable ecosystem for game developers. The costs are recovered later through revenue earned in the dedicated console store.

Nonetheless, we recognize that we will need to adapt our business model even for the store on the Xbox console. Beginning today, we will move forward to apply Principles 1 through 7 to the store on the Xbox console. We’re committed to closing the gap on the remaining principles over time. In doing so, we will incorporate the spirit of new laws even beyond their scope, while moving forward in a way that protects the needs of game developers, gamers, and competitive and healthy game-console ecosystems.
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Apple is facing increased pressure to modify policies in place for its App Store which many developers and users consider a monopoly. Recently, Microsoft, the Department of Justice, thirty-five state attorneys general, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Public Citizen, and numerous academics filed in support of Epic's appeal against a court ruling that the App Store did not violate antitrust law.

Apple's restrictive App Store policies are also being targeted by lawmakers who want the company to allow sideloading. This would allow users the freedom to choose what apps can be installed on their device. Currently, Apple has complete control over which apps can be run.

Making matters worse for the company, Apple caused an uproar amongst developers last week after it revealed that it planned to charge dating apps that utilitize their own payment processing and subscription management services a shocking 27% commission on all transactions. The move was described as "absolutely vile" and a "ridiculous comedy".

Microsoft's announcement today will likely put even more pressure on Apple to change its policies but the company hasn't given any indication that it plans to do so.

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