Apple is shaking up how it manages the App Store
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Apple is splitting its App Store division in half, according to a report from Bloomberg. While one group of employees will run the App Store, the other will manage its approach to alternative marketplaces that have started opening up in the European Union.
As part of the change, App Store vice president Matt Fischer will leave the company after more than a decade in the role. “This has been on my mind for some time, and as we are also reorganizing the team to better manage new challenges and opportunities, now is the right moment to pass the baton to two outstanding leaders on my team,” Fischer writes in an email to employees seen by Bloomberg.
Now, Apple senior director Carson Oliver will reportedly oversee the App Store division, while Ann Thai, a product director at the company, will head up the group that tackles alternative distribution. App Store chief Phil Schiller will oversee both divisions. The Verge reached out to Apple with a request for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.
Apple decided to break up the division after European regulators started requiring Apple to allow third-party payment methods and alternative app stores, Bloomberg reports. Last week, Fortnite returned to the iPhone through the launch of the Epic Games Store on iOS. Other alternative app stores, such as the AltStore PAL, Mobivention, and Aptoid, have also popped up on iPhones in the region.
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Apple is splitting its App Store division in half, according to a report from Bloomberg. While one group of employees will run the App Store, the other will manage its approach to alternative marketplaces that have started opening up in the European Union.
As part of the change, App Store vice president Matt Fischer will leave the company after more than a decade in the role. “This has been on my mind for some time, and as we are also reorganizing the team to better manage new challenges and opportunities, now is the right moment to pass the baton to two outstanding leaders on my team,” Fischer writes in an email to employees seen by Bloomberg.
Now, Apple senior director Carson Oliver will reportedly oversee the App Store division, while Ann Thai, a product director at the company, will head up the group that tackles alternative distribution. App Store chief Phil Schiller will oversee both divisions. The Verge reached out to Apple with a request for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.
Apple decided to break up the division after European regulators started requiring Apple to allow third-party payment methods and alternative app stores, Bloomberg reports. Last week, Fortnite returned to the iPhone through the launch of the Epic Games Store on iOS. Other alternative app stores, such as the AltStore PAL, Mobivention, and Aptoid, have also popped up on iPhones in the region.