The Setapp Mobile iOS store is shutting down on February 16th
- Setapp Mobile, an alternative iOS app store, will shut down on February 16th.
- The decision comes after the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) forced Apple to allow third-party app stores, but users didn’t adopt them.
- MacPaw, the developer behind Setapp, announced the sunset of the service due to complex business terms that don’t fit their current business model.
- Users will lose access to any apps they have purchased through Setapp Mobile on February 16th.
- The shutdown marks another casualty of the DMA’s impact on the app store ecosystem.
Setapp Mobile seemed like one of the many alternative app markets with promise that launched in the wake of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). While the law may have forced Apple to allow third-party app stores on its devices, it couldn’t make users actually embrace them. MacPaw, the Ukrainian developer behind the subscription-based Setapp, posted on a support page that it would be sunsetting the service next month and users would lose access to any apps:
Important: Setapp Mobile sunset notice
Setapp Mobile is scheduled to sunset on February 16, 2026, due to still-evolving and complex business terms that don’t fit Setapp’s current busi …
Read the full story at The Verge.
Q. When is Setapp Mobile iOS store shutting down?
A. The Setapp Mobile iOS store will shut down on February 16th.
Q. Why is Setapp Mobile shutting down?
A. Due to complex business terms that don’t fit Setapp’s current business model.
Q. What prompted Apple to allow third-party app stores on its devices?
A. The EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Q. Who is behind the Setapp mobile app store?
A. MacPaw, a Ukrainian developer.
Q. Is there an alternative for users who want to access apps from Setapp Mobile?
A. No, as the service will be completely shut down on February 16th.
Q. What happens to users’ access to apps after the shutdown?
A. Users will lose access to any apps they had purchased or subscribed to through Setapp Mobile.
Q. Is there a link to read more about this story?
A. Yes, you can read the full story at The Verge (link provided).
Q. When was the original sunset date announced for Setapp Mobile?
A. February 16th, but it seems there’s been an update to the date – now it’s February 16th, 2026.
Q. What is Setapp Mobile?
A. A subscription-based app store that launched in response to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Q. Why didn’t users actually embrace third-party app stores like Setapp Mobile?
A. The law may have forced Apple to allow them, but it couldn’t make users actually use them.