I don't want sideloading, myself, but I wonder about executives who say: if you don't like everything about our platform, the way we give it to you, then go somewhere else...
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Executive Says Users Who Want App Sideloading Already Have That Option With Other Platforms
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It’s very simple. The attack vector that doesn’t exist cannot be exploited.
Add in that toggle and you’ll have a million websites trying to social engineer users to turn that little toggle button on and then the security of the platform will simply go to sh*t. All to satisfy a tiny minority of loud complainers, mostly on this forum, who should have known better to buy an Android phone.
To any and all here, if you want Android and Windows, go buy THAT, quit trying to morph Apple into Google and Microsoft. Accept that you have a philosophical difference and move on with your lives.
You know what you're getting when you buy an iPhone, so don't moan when you get exactly what apple promised...
Sideloading only lowers the security bar if, (A) you choose to sideload AND (B) you sideload a nefarious app. If I do (A) and (B) on my iPhone, it doesn't expose you to any increased security risk.
Why do you wonder? Because they have an opinion that isn’t so limp-wristed that they are perpetually kissing users a***s to get the to buy their product even when you know that what they want is inherently a bad business decision. Frankly, I find it refreshing that Apple would draw a line in the sand on this particular aspect of their business.
People who could use cars and bikes before but have resort to baby bikes with safety wheels thereafter, I‘d complain too.
As someone working at a company with about 20 apps in the app store and as the guy who has to submit the apps for review, all I can say to this:
Is it is a freaking joke. There are numerous cases where malware has made it into the app store. I have submitted apps to the app store and had them approved for release in literally less than 5 minutes - zero chance they were ever reviewed thoroughly. And I've also had times when the reviewers were either too dumb or just plain lazy to figure out how an app works (an extremely simple app) and had them arbitrarily rejected, only to approve them later after making no changes.
I'm all for a secure phone, but relying on Apple's crack review team isn't doing much - the controls in the operating system are what is important.
Is it is a freaking joke. There are numerous cases where malware has made it into the app store. I have submitted apps to the app store and had them approved for release in literally less than 5 minutes - zero chance they were ever reviewed thoroughly. And I've also had times when the reviewers were either too dumb or just plain lazy to figure out how an app works (an extremely simple app) and had them arbitrarily rejected, only to approve them later after making no changes.
I'm all for a secure phone, but relying on Apple's crack review team isn't doing much - the controls in the operating system are what is important.
Side-loading either exists or it does not. You can't have it on "one" device and not all. It will compromise security because it exists.
I think we all recognize that there are those that want iOS and have it as open as Android. Those that feel they bought the device and they should be able to do whatever they want with it. However, that is not reality. When someone or some company builds something. They, THEY design it how THEY feel it should be. If you, US don't like it, we don't buy it.
If this was a situation where you had no choice BUT to buy something you don't like. THEN you can argue for alternatives. But, that is not the case here. If it does not do all you wish it to do. You can try and hack it to your liking (jailbreak) or just by someone else's product that better alines with your wants and needs.
This setting is already available. It's just even better hidden and less obvious. It's that moment when you buy your phone and you choose an Android phone. You can only undo this setting by going through the same process but then choosing an iPhone.
No one is stopping BlackBerry from being better at it. Or Microsoft, or Nokia, or Samsung, or anyone/company. We are left with 2 choices because that is how the competition played out. Those other options FAILED.
OK I'll bite. Joe Blow has a Facebook account, a contact list, a calendar, a bunch of pictures, my bankaccount (since we split a few bills in the past) etc etc. If his phone is compromised, my data is indirectly somewhat compromised. I might give him a call, not knowing hackers are listening in... Now scale this up to millions of compromised accounts. Then there's all the governments in the world with questionable intentions (and that might include the USA) that might want to compromise my iPhone even before I get it in my hands by requiring official state sponsored appstores...
Yes, I can hurt from Joe's weak protection.
Also a lot of develppers will be tempted to go 'out in the wild' for larger profit margins and lower security and privacy standards. There will be no monitoring of those app stores and apps. Before I know it, an app that I like and use a lot is no longer in the app store. 2 years later and the app store is empty because other people left the app store for cheaper versions without protection. Again: I hurt.
But feel free to disagree
It's the other way around too. They cannot lock down MacOS the way they do on iOS devices, because they would lose a lot of Mac customers.
This was my appeal of Android. I would change my icons and layouts so much, it was like I was on crack. Rooting to add other things that would make other things not work. I had the Droid X, Galaxy Nexus, and some others before switching with the iPhone 6. I have been with Apple ever since. The iPhone is a superior product. Quality between the hardware and software are unmatched. Waiting for the new software release for months and then ending up never getting it. This isn't fan boying, it's just the facts. This isn't saying Android is garbage, because it's not.
Would you do it to bring the price of apps down for all of us? The big issue as I see it is that Apple has complete control over how much it costs to sell an App. It's 30% of revenue. There's no other option. Competition between markets is what brings that price down. There's no one competing with the App Store which is a problem.
Moreover, these are not mutually exclusive. Don't trust anything AppStore apps? Don't use them.
I mean you can legally sideload an app now via xcode and a free dev account... its only authorized for 7 days with a free account (full year if you are a $99 paid dev account). You need to resign it with your cert, but its possible. The big open source projects have ios/tvos branches of their code, some even have precompiled nightlies if that is your thing. Been doing this for awhile. Retroarch, Dolphin, Kodi...
Xbox has a dev mode and you can load any UWP app using the Xbox SDK and APIs on it... The Xbox Series S makes a very good emulation box in dev mode. The M1 Macs do as well, and many things are not ARM or M1 optimized yet... of course with Mac there is no issue sideloading an app.
Yeah, I can't honestly disagree with you. I'm conflicted in all honesty. I like the idea of side loading, but I really do love the more secure walled garden Apple provides. Another commenter offered a compromise of having the option to do so buried in the settings to enable it.
And yes, MacOS has been doing fine for years. But the exec has me pinpointed exactly and perhaps not you. I only go outside the App store of my Mac if I have to. Otherwise, I look for apps exclusively in the app store.
Because we won’t? What do you expect will happen? If I want to play Fortnite, I’ll need to enable side loading. How about Photoshop? Microsoft Office? I can clearly see a lot of the popular apps by big companies wanting to push their own App Store/launcher just like how it is on computer.
Crime still happens with police around. People keep bringing this up. Do you think the number of scam apps will be the SAME without app approval? Or that the situation would get better?
The only way for a truly secure iOS is to have App Review take weeks or months. Have Apple scan the source code and review the App for weeks to make sure it’s not malicious. But Apple cannot do this.
"Sideloading in this case is actually eliminating choice"
Apple PR-doublethink at it's best 🤮. If Android wasn't own by an Ad-Company (Google), I would strongly consider switchting.
There are many legitimate reasons to sideload apps. Think about users in countries that banned VPN apps for example. Since Apple has to comply with local laws they can't offer these apps on local appstores. Or hobby programmers who just want to scratch an itch with a custom made software without having to pay $100 for the dev program. I know you can compile and load your own apps for 7 days. But Seven days!!!
I really hope that regulators around the world, be it in the US or the EU, will do something about this.
Apple PR-doublethink at it's best 🤮. If Android wasn't own by an Ad-Company (Google), I would strongly consider switchting.
There are many legitimate reasons to sideload apps. Think about users in countries that banned VPN apps for example. Since Apple has to comply with local laws they can't offer these apps on local appstores. Or hobby programmers who just want to scratch an itch with a custom made software without having to pay $100 for the dev program. I know you can compile and load your own apps for 7 days. But Seven days!!!
I really hope that regulators around the world, be it in the US or the EU, will do something about this.
So you prefer the app store being the only one, not the best one?
Surely if other companies did add their own stores that were available on the iPhone it would only serve to push the Apple App store up in quality / down in price.
But Safari allows scams, maybe apple should curate the web pages that you can see through safari? That would make your iPhone experience more safe.
I dislike this mentality. This claim is only meant to discount apples position on privacy.
They made this same arguement during the Epic v Apple hearing.
"Do you think customers buy iPhones because of privacy concerns"
"Yes"
"Ha, then you admit you only do it for profit to sell more phones."
Yes, indeed companies do things to appeal to customers, and in turn make more money.
In other news, Water is wet.
Then buy both. Bet you have two cars and each one has different specs. The truck and sedan in the driveway example. Or the Sonos, Apple, Amazon speakers in one's house. The Real choice, buy the product or products that meet one's needs.
So a Mac may have the private data of not only you, but your mum, dad, sister and dog. Not to mention your employer.
Ignoring cost, I'd much prefer to have my phone compromised than my Mac.