iOS 26.5 adds Brazil 'App Installation' setting

Apple has added a new “App Installation” setting in iOS 26.5 for users in Brazil, according to reports published May 18 and May 20, in the clearest sign yet that the company is preparing to allow app distribution beyond its own App Store in that market. The change was first flagged by Brazil-focused outlet iHelpBR and then described by 9to5Mac and MacDailyNews after the iOS 26.5 release. Apple has not, in the material reviewed, separately announced a Brazil launch for third-party iPhone app stores. But the setting’s appearance lines up with a regulatory settlement Apple reached with Brazil’s antitrust authority late last year. ### What exactly showed up on iPhones in Brazil? 9to5Mac reported on May 18 that iOS 26.5 includes a new setting that lets Brazilian users choose a preferred app marketplace other than the App Store. MacDailyNews described the menu on May 20 as an “App Installation” setting that appears designed to support third-party app stores. Reporting around the feature said the infrastructure is visible in software, even if a broad consumer rollout of outside marketplaces was not yet evident. (9to5mac.com) iOS 26.5 itself was released by Apple on May 11, according to MacDailyNews’ software update coverage. That places the Brazil-specific setting inside Apple’s latest point release rather than in a separate regional beta. ### Why is Brazil getting this change? Brazil’s antitrust regulator CADE accepted an agreement with Apple on Dec. 23, 2025, requiring the company to allow other app stores on iOS in Brazil to settle a three-year case, Reuters reported at the time. (9to5mac.com) The agreement also required Apple to permit third-party payment processing for in-app purchases or links to external transaction websites. (macdailynews.com) MercadoLibre was the complainant that started the probe in 2022, Reuters reported, and CADE had already issued preventive measures against Apple in 2024 before its technical staff recommended a ruling against the company in 2025. Under the settlement, Apple had 105 days to execute the changes and faced penalties of up to 150 million reais if it fully broke the agreement, Reuters said. (channelnewsasia.com) A CADE document surfaced in search results also described the obligations as permitting distribution through alternative app stores, enabling alternative payment processors and allowing promotion of external offers. (channelnewsasia.com) ### Does this mean sideloading is already live in Brazil? Current reporting does not show that Brazilian iPhone users can broadly install from fully operational third-party stores today. GadgetHacks reported this week that the setting is a compliance milestone rather than a full product launch, while Apfelpatient said Apple still appeared to need server-side changes before outside app installation was fully active. (cdn.cade.gov.br) That distinction matters because Apple can expose the controls in iOS before alternative marketplaces themselves are populated, approved or widely available. The visible setting shows the distribution framework moving into the shipping software. ### How is Apple talking about the issue in public? (apple.gadgethacks.com) Apple’s own public message on May 20 centered on App Store safety. In a newsroom post, the company said it stopped more than $2.2 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2025, rejected more than 2 million problematic app submissions, blocked 1.1 billion fraudulent account creations and detected 28,000 illegitimate apps on pirate storefronts. (9to5mac.com) The same Apple post said the company prevented 2.9 million attempts in the last month alone to install or launch apps distributed illicitly outside the App Store or approved alternative app marketplaces. That language did not mention Brazil specifically, but it underscored Apple’s long-running argument that opening distribution channels increases security risk. Reuters reported in December that Apple said the Brazil changes would open privacy and security risks to users. (apple.com) ### What comes next? Brazil’s next concrete milestone is implementation under the CADE settlement Apple accepted on Dec. 23, 2025. The practical next evidence will be Apple’s developer terms for Brazil, the arrival of approved alternative marketplaces, or further CADE compliance updates tied to the 105-day execution window and the three-year agreement period. (channelnewsasia.com) (apple.com)