Meta is preparing to let users in the EU download apps directly through Facebook ads, setting the company up as a direct competitor with Google and Apple’s digital storefronts.
The new program will start a pilot run with Android app developers later in the year, according to The Verge’s Alex Heath. The move is possibly motivated by a new regulation in the EU, dubbed the Digital Markets Act, which is due to go into effect next spring. According to the new act, Apple and Google are labeled as ‘gatekeepers’ and are required to open up their mobile platforms to alternative methods of downloading apps.
