Apple adds App Installation to Brazil

Apple has begun showing a new “App Installation” setting to some iPhone users in Brazil in iOS 26.5, according to reports published between May 15 and May 20. The change follows a December 23, 2025 settlement with Brazil’s competition authority, CADE, that required the company to open iOS to alternative app distribution and outside payment options. CADE said Apple had 105 days to implement the changes and could face fines of up to 150 million reais for non-compliance. The new setting does not mean Brazilian users can immediately install apps from rival stores today. Reports from Brazilian Apple outlets said the menu appeared under Settings and lets users choose a preferred marketplace, but no alternative store was yet available to select. That makes the iOS 26.5 change more of an on-device foundation than a full launch of rival storefronts. (macmagazine.com.br) ### What exactly did Apple add in Brazil? MacMagazine reported on May 15 that iOS 26.5 added an option labeled “Instalação de Apps” inside the Apps default-settings area for Brazilian users. The report said the control would let users define another store as the default app marketplace, even though no rival storefront was yet live in the country. 9to5Mac reported on May 18 that Apple had added a setting allowing Brazilian users to select a preferred app marketplace other than the App Store. (macmagazine.com.br) The reports are significant because they point to Apple shipping a user-facing control tied to alternative distribution in Brazil, rather than only leaving references in pre-release code. Earlier reports had focused on code found in the iOS 26.5 release candidate; the later reports described a visible setting in the released software. ### Why is Brazil getting this now? (macmagazine.com.br) CADE said on December 23, 2025 that it signed a cease-and-desist agreement with Apple in an investigation into alleged anticompetitive practices in the iOS ecosystem. The regulator said the case involved Apple’s restrictions on third-party distribution of digital goods and services, its in-app payment requirements, and anti-steering clauses that blocked developers from telling users about alternative payment methods. (ihelpbr.com) The CADE agreement required Apple to let developers provide third-party offers, direct users to transactions outside the app, offer alternative in-app payment methods alongside Apple’s own, and allow “alternative app distribution channels (app stores).” CADE also said Apple had 105 days to implement the changes and that the agreement would remain in force for three years once the new terms became mandatory for developers. (gov.br) ### Does this mean full sideloading like Android? CADE’s statement refers to alternative app distribution channels and outside payments, not unrestricted installation of software from anywhere. Reports around iOS 26.5 in Brazil have described the likely model as closer to Apple’s regulated marketplace approach than to Android-style open sideloading. In practice, that points to approved third-party marketplaces rather than broad web downloads, though Apple has not publicly detailed the Brazil-specific user flow in an official release note cited here. (gov.br) That distinction matters because many headlines used “sideloading” as shorthand. The concrete evidence now visible is narrower: a settings control for app installation and a regulator-approved framework requiring alternative stores and payment options. ### Who pushed the case in Brazil? Mercado Livre was the company behind the original complaint that triggered the Brazilian case, according to CADE-related reporting and Brazilian coverage of the settlement. (gov.br) CADE’s action grew out of a 2022 complaint over Apple’s App Store rules and payment restrictions in Brazil. (macmagazine.com.br) The settlement also places Brazil in a broader line of jurisdictions pressing Apple to loosen App Store rules. CADE commissioner Victor Fernandes said the Brazilian proposal fit into “a broader context of international initiatives” aimed at opening Apple’s mobile ecosystem. ### What still has to happen before this changes the market? (gov.br) Alternative stores still need to launch in Brazil before the setting has practical effect for most users. MacMagazine reported that no other store was yet available to choose when the setting appeared. The next milestone is not another iOS menu but developer uptake and marketplace launches under CADE’s three-year framework. (gov.br) CADE said Apple’s new terms become binding for developers under the agreement, and Brazilian reports have already pointed to interest from potential local participants such as telecom operator Claro. (macmagazine.com.br)