EU's decision to force Apple to prompt people to pick a third-party browser is working

As part of the European Union's Digital Markets Act, Apple is now required to offer iPhone owners in the territory the opportunity to pick a new browser option rather than Safari and a new report shows that the move has seen a surge in downloads of third-party alternatives.

According to a Reuters report, independent browser companies have seen a spike in downloads within the first month of the DMA's existence.

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Following the launch of the DMA, Apple's iPhones must offer users the chance to choose their own browser with Apple offering a random list of alternatives. One of those third-party browsers that Apple has suggested is the Cyrpsu-based Aloha Browser and Reuters says that it has experienced a 250% jump in downloads for March alone. Aloha says that before the DMA change, the EU was its fourth biggest market. Now, it's all the way up to the second spot.

Other companies to share similar details include Norway's Vivaldi, Germany's Ecosia, and US-based Brave although specific numbers have not been shared.

Finally, Opera says that it is experiencing record user numbers in the EU right now, suggesting that just giving people an option to switch is enough to get them to actually do it.

The EU DMA has made a number of changes to the way the iPhone works in the region, with the biggest being the requirement for Apple to allow third-party app stores. For the first time, iPhone owners can install apps from sources other than Apple's own App Store with app installations via a developer's own website also on the way.