Meta Plans To Change Facebook To Look Like App Store And Play Store

JAKARTA - Meta plans to turn Facebook into an app store such as the App Store and Google Play Store, where users can directly download the desired app through advertising.

The company is said to have seen a gap at a time when the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the European Union (EU) was passed recently and took effect in 2024.

The DMA, which contains the antitrust rules, will force each platform to allow the distribution of applications through other digital stores.

Of course, this EU Law will have a major impact on Apple and Google, which have indeed become old players in the app business.

According to reports, the new type of ad initiated by Meta will begin as a pilot with several Android app developers, the fastest to do later this year.

"We're always interested in helping developers distribute their apps, and new options will add to more competition in this space," Meta spokeswoman Tom Channick told The Verge, quoted Friday, June 30.

"Developers are entitled to more ways to easily convey their applications to people who want them," he added.

By hosting the Android app, Meta will let Facebook users download it directly without being removed from the Play Store.

Android itself has technically allowed sideloading. However, Google makes it difficult to combine in-app billing and licenses on the Play Store.

The warning will also be displayed when someone tries to download the app from another source.

Even so, this step will open up a new market for Meta, which has been struggling since Apple made it difficult for apps to track users. Because most of the company's revenue comes from advertising.

Meta didn't plan to cut in-app revenue from those participating initially, so developers in the trial could still use any billing system they wanted.