Epic Games Store and Fortnite Arrive on EU iPhones

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

App installation UX and Apple’s “malicious compliance”

  • Many focus on how clunky Epic Store installation is on EU iPhones: Safari shows a scare-style prompt, but doesn’t deep-link into Settings, forcing users to manually find the toggle.
  • Some note this is “consistent” with other Apple flows (provisioning profiles, notifications), others argue the experience is deliberately worse to discourage third‑party stores.
  • Android is cited as a cautionary example: easier permission flows led to more malware and social‑engineering scams; recent Android changes now also require manual settings navigation for sensitive permissions.
  • Debate centers on whether friction is justified for security or mainly to protect Apple’s business model. Several call this “malicious compliance” with EU rules.

Security, data access, and Epic’s trustworthiness

  • Apps from Epic’s store are still iOS apps in the same sandbox, notarized by Apple, so they shouldn’t gain extra technical powers vs App Store apps.
  • Others counter that the sandbox doesn’t stop all abuses (e.g., private APIs, Objective‑C tricks), and that Apple’s review process is one of the few checks.
  • Meta/Facebook is used as an example of abusing iOS facilities (keychain persistence) to track users across installs; some question GDPR legality.
  • Epic’s past fines for child‑targeted dark patterns are mentioned; posters stress Epic isn’t “the good guys,” just temporarily aligned with user interests against Apple.

Mac and broader gaming ecosystem

  • Several doubt that serious gaming will “come back” to macOS, citing low Steam share vs Linux and limited incentives to port games.
  • Metal‑only strategy and ARM‑only hardware are seen as major barriers; MoltenVK helps Vulkan titles but still requires separate Mac builds.
  • Some praise Apple’s Game Porting Toolkit and third‑party tools like Whisky, but note it’s far from Proton‑like “just works” support.

iOS choice, lock‑in, and alternatives

  • Some are excited to install Epic “even if it’s spyware,” valuing the freedom of choice.
  • Others ask why such users stay on iPhone: answers include better perceived UX, long‑term performance, ecosystem integration, and distrust of Google’s ad‑driven model.
  • Linux phones (e.g., Librem 5) are raised as theoretical competition, but most argue they’re not realistic replacements due to app, banking, messaging, and UX gaps.

EU‑only features, geo‑gating, and regulation

  • Third‑party stores and future non‑WebKit browsers are enabled via region‑based feature flags, using multiple signals (GPS, SIM, billing, Wi‑Fi country info). Flags persist ~30 days after leaving the EU.
  • Some criticize Apple’s heavy geo‑gating and see it as proof that meaningful openness only arrives through regulation.
  • There is optimism that EU pressure could also bring full browser competition and robust ad‑blocking (uBlock Origin‑class) to iOS, though current extension support on iOS browsers remains limited and uneven.