Notarised apps are still handled differently and made harder to run than apps from the AppStore
Just like Windows and now Android.
macOS copying Windows and Android is not a consolation in 2026.
yeah they're moving into the wrong direction as well. not to mention that notarisation is for after-the-fact anyways. malware still slips through (historically true!). it's just supposed to shrink the blast radius AFTER apple knows a binary is malware.
what does the scare modal of "are you really sure you wanna run this? could be bad dude..." do?
the only purpose i can see it serving is to push devs to use the AppStore on mac, which is highly restricted in what you can do, and of course, takes 30% of your revenue
You have to pay apple 150$ annually for the pleasure of notarisation, even if you make open-source apps. Yet you cannot distribute apps outside store on mobile (besides in eu, but not really, but is't topic on its own…).
Notarisation is just proof that the app went through an automated malware scan.
Windows, Mac, and Android have all adopted measures intended to warn and attempt to protect users from malware.
As far as age verification goes, this is a restriction being forced on companies by governments.
Apple previously allowed parents to set age restrictions on their children, or not, as they saw fit.