Apple making big App Store changes as EU Digital Markets Act kicks in

Customers in Europe will now be able to download iPhone apps from stores that are not operated by Apple (Michael Sohn/AP)

Apple is opening small cracks in the iPhone’s digital fortress as part of a regulatory clampdown in Europe that is striving to give consumers more choices — at the risk of creating new avenues for hackers to steal personal and financial information stored on the devices.

The overhaul which is being rolled out in the European Union on Thursday represents the biggest changes to the iPhone’s App Store since Apple introduced the concept in 2008.