Apple CEO Tim Cook: Sideloading Apps Would 'Destroy the Security' of the iPhone

[djlythium]

We can sideload macOS apps, and they’re verified by Apple. Why not do the same thing on iOS?

Oh, right. 💵💴💶💷💴💴💷💶💵💵💷💴💵💶💷💴💵💶💵💴💷💶💵

 

[RedRage]

the user already has a choice. it's called Android

It's called being a grown up and not having to have Apple hold your hand for everything. How do you people live your lives?

 

[jayducharme]

My car forces me to use its entertainment system. Why can't I side load my own apps onto it?

I mean, where does this end? I don't get these "monopoly" claims. There are other phone makers and OS systems out there. If you don't like the way Apple's system works, you're free to get a different one. There seems to be an obsession by some governments with breaking Apple's security. Maybe this is simply one more attempt to do that.

 

[Antwan86]

Ce mec parle tellement mal anglais…

 

[JosephAW]

But what about letting me install apps that I’ve purchased in your App Store and downloaded a copy for my backup but iOS 14.5 won’t let me install it because it’s no longer in your store?

 

[theonlyeyes]

Disagree. macOS security isn’t “destroyed” by allowing side loading. There are ways of allowing apps from outside the AppStore in a secure fashion.

What he really meant to say is that it’d destroy App Store revenue and entirely eliminate the embarrassment that is apple arcade.

this excuse might fly over certain peoples heads but anyone with even a modicum of technical knowledge will roll their eyes reading that headline

If Apple would to make more money without take care about quality and privacy then they would to accept porno into the store and collect and sell personal info of users (like android and facebook do). But Apple don’t it. They take care. Mac is another kind of product, with a different use and different kind of users. Android have 47 x more malware that iOS . You would to expect that android have 5x more malware. Something don’t work on android and opened system like that. So before write something , think at the reality

 

[Okasian]

Wrong. Otherwise, why would some hacker waste time pirating bad software? There will always be people pirating good software like the Adobe Suite, etc.

The whole reason many of us pirated Photoshop (and other trashy ***** from Adobe) was because of how unoptimized (monolithic, intermediate bytecode) it was, making it feel cheap and tacky relative to the competition.

Conversely, I’ll pay for good, native, reasonably priced, software, no problem.

You literally have it backwards relative to my worldview, and many of my contemporaries.

 

[dannyyankou]

A working mom does not have time for this. They pay Apple to make these decisions so she can focus on raising a family. This is Apple's target demographic.

If no sideloading is a deal breaker, she'll go with Android. Apple is fine with that.

But don’t you think restricting sideloading to trusted developers would be a good compromise? Plenty of kids use a Mac and this is how they download applications.

 

[icymountain]

My car forces me to use its entertainment system. Why can't I side load my own apps onto it?

I mean, where does this end? I don't get these "monopoly" claims. There are other phone makers and OS systems out there. If you don't like the way Apple's system works, you're free to get a different one. There seems to be an obsession by some governments with breaking Apple's security. Maybe this is simply one more attempt to do that.

Not sure how you view your car, but as suspect you consider it a transportation device. This is how I look at mine. From that point of view, choosing what software it runs is not a priority.

By now, many consider iOS and iPadOS devices like computers that can perform a wide range of tasks the manufacturer may not have thought about. This is where the freedom to select what software to install becomes very useful.

Recently, I was reading on some specialized unix command line tool and the manual was saying the power from this piece of software came from the fact it implemented only a very specific feature set, but could be combined with many other programs to complete very advanced tasks. Without having multiple programs implementing more or less well the same, replicated functionality. When I look at the apps installed on my iPad Pro, I see the very opposite of this philosophy: bloated apps that cannot exchange data satisfactorily and plenty of duplicated (but never satisfactorily implemented) features. This is where the centralized and closed App store model brought us.

 

[theonlyeyes]

By the same logic your television should only be able to display content from a single official provider just in case you decide to pirate a film.

Tesla offer only electric motor. Would you to force them to adopt a diesel by volkswagen? If you aren’t convicted by Apple way then go to buy an android. Sell you personal info over there and be happy

 

[Lemon Olive]

Sideloading Mac OS apps really destroyed the security of Mac OS, that's for sure.

Notice how they have been ruining macOS with each successive release by adding security features no one asked for and were not needed ever before.

Having to approve access to my Downloads folder from Safari for every single website really put me over the edge.

 

[Absolute Trainwreck]

If Apple would to make more money without take care about quality and privacy then they would to accept porno into the store and collect and sell personal info of users (like android and facebook do). But Apple don’t it. They take care. Mac is another kind of product, with a different use and different kind of users. Android have 47 x more malware that iOS . You would to expect that android have 5x more malware. Something don’t work on android and opened system like that. So before write something , think at the reality

Yeah no sorry, none of those tired old excuses work for me. Nobody is calling for the App Store rules to be relaxed, and nobody’s calling for everyone’s phones to allow outside apps. You can add a toggle so that both camps are happy.

Further, you can’t slippery slope into pornography and other entire operating systems with different philosophies and rule sets and try to call me out for not thinking before I write at the same time. You might want to get your opinions somewhere other than Apple’s press releases, I’ll keep mine thanks

 

[theonlyeyes]

A free for everything iOS would be a much sweeter target for malware as macOS ever was (installed used base) so thats kinda kills the "it works on Macs" argument.

Allowing sideloading would lead to many "big" apps leaving the app store which would for many users blur the line between legit and non legit sources app.

So the free for everything approach ain't no good and you can't expect Apple to police app submissions to 3rd party apps stores by being from "signed" devs.

One solution I could think of is limiting those apps to APIs, so no access to addresses, pictures or anything deemed sensitive. Still plenty good enough for the usual nonsense games and such.

Epic, for example, did to sued also google: and on android they could offer their app outside the google play store. So that solution don’t resolve. The problem is brands like epic want to make money through intellectual property of others without cost and without rules. This is not right. On more consider that no one use other stores on android: it is not good but it is better that apps located outside the play store. People is looking to have a better quality also if they spent less to buy.

 

[theonlyeyes]

Not sure how you view your car, but as suspect you consider it a transportation device. This is how I look at mine. From that point of view, choosing what software it runs is not a priority.

By now, many consider iOS and iPadOS devices like computers that can perform a wide range of tasks the manufacturer may not have thought about. This is where the freedom to select what software to install becomes very useful.

Recently, I was reading on some specialized unix command line tool and the manual was saying the power from this piece of software came from the fact it implemented only a very specific feature set, but could be combined with many other programs to complete very advanced tasks. Without having multiple programs implementing more or less well the same, replicated functionality. When I look at the apps installed on my iPad Pro, I see the very opposite of this philosophy: bloated apps that cannot exchange data satisfactorily and plenty of duplicated (but never satisfactorily implemented) features. This is where the centralized and closed App store model brought us.

Yeah no sorry, none of those tired old excuses work for me. Nobody is calling for the App Store rules to be relaxed, and nobody’s calling for everyone’s phones to allow outside apps. You can add a toggle so that both camps are happy.

Further, you can’t slippery slope into pornography and other entire operating systems with different philosophies and rule sets and try to call me out for not thinking before I write at the same time.

Get your opinions somewhere other than Apple’s press releases, I’ll keep mine thanks

You can keep what you want, reality don’t change. Its not an opinion. Take info about Cambridge analytica and facebook, look how other make the money. And you will realize immediately that Apple could do the same. But they don’t. Rightly.

 

[theonlyeyes]

the user already has a choice. it's called Android

Exactly. Let people to choice. If iOS would opened like an android , no more real choice for the people: all the products would become too similar.

 

[theonlyeyes]

My car forces me to use its entertainment system. Why can't I side load my own apps onto it?

I mean, where does this end? I don't get these "monopoly" claims. There are other phone makers and OS systems out there. If you don't like the way Apple's system works, you're free to get a different one. There seems to be an obsession by some governments with breaking Apple's security. Maybe this is simply one more attempt to do that.

You said right

 

[theonlyeyes]

So the parents need to do their job and monitor their kids’ phone usage, there’s a lot of dangerous stuff on the internet that Apple can’t control. Use parental controls.

And it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You can have something similar to the Mac where you can only download from trusted developers, or have the parents approve the apps one by one.

Yeah all the children use a Mac . Not an iPad or iPhone (maybe old models).. but a Mac. And a Mac it’s so easy to bring outside with you far from your parents. You smart buddy

 

[theonlyeyes]

We can sideload macOS apps, and they’re verified by Apple. Why not do the same thing on iOS?

Oh, right. 💵💴💶💷💴💴💷💶💵💵💷💴💵💶💷💴💵💶💵💴💷💶💵

No porno on App Store. No collect and sell of personal info of the users. No ad. No virus. And you say that the reason is money? You’re funny

 

[Absolute Trainwreck]

Exactly. Let people to choice. If iOS would opened like an android , no more real choice for the people: all the products would become too similar.

You seem to consistently be missing or perhaps purposefully ignoring the point that a toggle solves all of this. Users that don’t want to sideload can turn that functionality off and by doing so only get their apps from the still-curated AppStore as it currently is. The App Store content will not change due to this.

For someone who claims to be advocating for customer choice, you sure do seem mighty opposed to it where it counts.

 

[theonlyeyes]

It would.

My grandma would click in a link, them Facebook or whatever will send her to a not so well regulated store.

And right there she is being tracked and using her card information god knows where.
And the intrusive ads, and the malwares that would be created.

The iPhone is the iPhone, because of the App Store, and most apps exist because of the popularity and ease of use/security of the iPhone.

People buy iPhone also thanks to its characteristics. No one force people to buy iPhone. But they do while android sell only on entry level price line. People love iPhone. Respect our choice and the privacy’s features of iPhone.

 

[Mousse]

I've a question for those folks opposed to allowing sideloading. Y'all buy into Timmy's assertion that it compromises security. Well, it might compromise the security of the person who sideloads it. Hence a caveat or the person accepting personal risk should be part of the deal.

Now, how does that person's iPhone, if compromised, compromises the security on your iPhone. Where is the risk to you what Joe does on his phone?

 

[theonlyeyes]

You seem to consistently be missing or perhaps purposefully ignoring the point that a toggle solves all of this. Users that don’t want to sideload can turn that functionality off and by doing so only get their apps from the still-curated AppStore as it currently is. The App Store content will not change due to this.

For someone who claims to be advocating for customer choice, you sure do seem mighty opposed to it where it counts.

I buy an iPhone with its characteristics , not an android. If you are a worker for European bureaucrats then say them to build their own smartphone like they wants. We like iPhone how is now.

 

[theonlyeyes]

I've a question for those folks opposed to allowing sideloading. Y'all buy into Timmy's assertion that it compromises security. Well, it might compromise the security of the person who sideloads it. Hence a caveat or the person accepting personal risk should be part of the deal.

Now, how does that person's iPhone, if compromised, compromises the security on your iPhone. Where is the risk to you what Joe does on his phone?

Apple is the only developer and owner of iPhone. They did set rules to have high privacy and security standards. There are a lot of alternative. People buy iPhone also thanks to its characteristics of privacy/security. You have a lot of alternative. The real choice for the people is when there are products with different characteristics.

 

[Robospungo]

I agree with Tim. If people want to sideload apps, go to Android. Apple shouldn't have to put themselves at risk, because some here think that Apple should let them do whatever they want. You knew about the walled orchard before you walked inside and bought products. If you no longer like how Apple is being run, you have the ability to leave any time you want.

This isn't about iPhone users. It's about all of the other people Apple is affecting through their monopolization of the digital marketplace and their anticompetitive practices.

 

[Absolute Trainwreck]

I buy an iPhone with its characteristics , not an android. If you are a worker for European bureaucrats then say them to build their own smartphone like they wants. We like iPhone how is now.

Thanks for directly admitting that you are against letting some people out there use their phone in a way that has exactly 0 effect on your use of the technology, for no reason other than you wanting to inflict your own philosophical view of it on everyone else.