The Epic Games Store has seen an uptick in downloads since the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) prompted Apple to streamline its process for installing third-party app marketplaces, according to a new blog published by Epic. Stats shared by the gaming software giant on Wednesday show the drop-off rate for Epic Games Store installations on iOS has gone from 65 percent down to around 25 percent following the release of iOS 18.6 in July.
The “updated user experience” for installing alternative app marketplaces was introduced in iOS 18.6 following the EU commission raising concerns in April that “Apple makes it overly burdensome and confusing for end users to install apps when using such alternative app distribution channels.”
“They’ve reduced the install flow from 15 steps to 6, eliminating their former scare screen and its misleading message, and eliminated a dead-end that left the user stranded in iOS Settings,” said Epic. “For the first time, we are starting to see iOS users install the Epic Games Store with a success rate approaching Windows users and Apple’s own Mac users.”
Epic says there are still improvements to be made, however, alleging that Apple’s anticompetitive behavior towards third-party app stores continues to violate the DMA, and is pushing developers to distribute fewer games through the Epic Games Store on iOS compared to Android. Epic also called out Google’s 12-step installation process on Android, saying its “deceptive user interface sabotages Epic Games Store install attempts on Android” more than 50 percent of the time.