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iPhone users in the EU next year will be able to download apps hosted outside of Apple's official App Store to comply with European regulations, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
I’m sure Apple will find a loophole here. For example, they may have to allow apps to be downloaded and installed, but that doesn’t mean the apps will actually run (without some sort of Apple certificate/verification).
 
In the end, I predict sideloading will be more of a philosophical victory rather than a practical one for two reasons:

1. Sideloading on the Android is almost exclusively for niche apps and expert users, as the majority will go look for apps in the Play Store. I almost certain it will play out like this on iOS, too (sorry to burst your bubble, Spotify and Epic)

2. If Apple indeed rolls this feature out only in the EU, developers will have little incentive to support side loading on their apps.

In summary, I doubt much changes for anyone
 
I hope that there will be two iOS versions you can choose: one without "side-loading" at all, and another with. This is the most safest way. I really would not like it to be a switch that can be flipped easily.
Then don’t flip that switch. It’s really as simple as that. Apple will make you go through hoops to do this, you’re not going to do it by accident.
 
So Apps side loaded will need to pass Apples verification per App & this probably will not have an option to be disabled in settings. So, I can imagine no side loaded apps will be able to pass this verification process as the side loaded apps have not been submitted to Apple & verified. So in effect, Apple have complied with the EU law in allowing apps to be downloaded from a 3rd party App store but they cant be opened as they have not passed the verification process… excellent 😂😂😂
 
Apple should take a stand & stop selling iPhones & iPads in the EU until this provision is withdrawn. Enough of big government sticking their noses into to private businesses & trying to tell them how to operate.
There is always - ALWAYS - at least one person here who suggests this 😆

I'm sure Apple shareholders would stand up and cheer if the company pulled out of their second biggest market with sales worth $22 billion+ per quarter to show the EU who is boss
 
I’m interested in how this applies to other ecosystems. Will Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony be required to open up their video game consoles to installing software outside their official app stores?
 
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I don't want freedom on my phone. I want my phone to be a closed and secure system. Very simple, you don't give everyone keys to your house. I also don't want to give everyone keys to my phone. And that's basically what the EU is requireing here. They (the EU) wants keys to everyone's phones. Because that would make it very easy for them to undermine everyone's privacy and security.

Also it's not freedom what the EU is requesting. Because right now you have the freedom to chose between a closed secure system and an open less secure system (Android). In the future you won't have this choice. iOS would be exactly the same as Android because of this, only with a better UI.
Yea, it is freedom the EU is legally requiring (not ‘requesting’). Basically everything about this post is wrong and full of logical fallacies, so let me break it down for you:

- First of all, the EU doesn’t want the ‘keys to everyone’s phones’. I have no idea what you’re basing this on. But to follow you analogy: currently Apple has the keys to your phone. maybe you want to install a new couch in your living room. Currently that’s only possible if Apple approves it, because they won’t unlock the door if it’s not an Apple-approved couch. Under the new law Apple is required to give YOU the key to YOUR house. So you can unlock the door and install whatever couch you choose.
- ‘The EU’ doesn’t get any ‘keys’. YOU get YOUR key.
- Only if you CHOOSE to. You don’t have to. You can still let Apple keep the key and worry about keeping your phone secure. Nothing changes in that regard.
- The only thing that changes is that before; If you asked for the key, Apple would just say no. Now, they will have to say yes, and give you the key. But *only if you want to*.
- If you don’t want to - nothing changes. It’s just as secure as it always was.
- That’s freedom. That’s choice. The current situation (and what will probably remain the situation in the US) is not freedom.

And before people start with the argument that the ‘freedom’ is the ability to ‘choose’ android… well, there is no ‘free choice’ if you can’t *really* choose something else. iPhone is widely popular among young people. They will feel socially pressured into getting an iPhone, because otherwise they won’t fit in with their peers. A young person that wants to chat with their friends is pretty much forced to get an iPhone, or they’ll be excluded from the iMessage group chat. Yes there are technically alternatives, but really, there’s not. That’s why Apple is a gatekeeper, and that’s why the EU wants to and needs to enforce freedom.

I’m actually shocked at how many people honestly believe that Apple wants to prevent sideloading for *your* benefit. It’s literally only about their bottom line. If they could legally require sideloaded apps to pay the same commission, they wouldn’t care and it would’ve been an option for a decade already. It’s only about money. Don’t be so naive, please.

Also as a closing remark: freedom and choice is meant for the people. Not for large multinational companies. I couldn’t care less if they have freedom to do whatever they want or not. If there’s one thing large companies have proven, over and over again, is that they have no problem using the ‘freedom’ they get to increase profits, over the backs of normal people.
 
About time! Thanks EU.

Hope it comes to the UK… lol

And for those who are about to wail and moan: don’t use it. Simple!

I can see both sides of the argument as to whether allow third party app stores and web browsers. Disallowing other browsers on iOS is the only thing keeping Safari alive. The day Google is allowed to release a Blink-engine Chrome on iOS, they will do it.

Which brings us to point 2, Apple still has complete control over all software executed on iOS regardless of its source, and the system is so locked down with an entitlements system that this isn't going to allow any software that isn't allowed now. It's just about who gets paid for it and how. This is less about freedom than about money.
 
Yea, it is freedom the EU is legally requiring (not ‘requesting’). Basically everything about this post is wrong and full of logical fallacies, so let me break it down for you:

- First of all, the EU doesn’t want the ‘keys to everyone’s phones’. I have no idea what you’re basing this on. But to follow you analogy: currently Apple has the keys to your phone. maybe you want to install a new couch in your living room. Currently that’s only possible if Apple approves it, because they won’t unlock the door if it’s not an Apple-approved couch. Under the new law Apple is required to give YOU the key to YOUR house. So you can unlock the door and install whatever couch you choose.
- ‘The EU’ doesn’t get any ‘keys’. YOU get YOUR key.
- Only if you CHOOSE to. You don’t have to. You can still let Apple keep the key and worry about keeping your phone secure. Nothing changes in that regard.
- The only thing that changes is that before; I you asked for the key, Apple would just say no. Now, they will have to say yes, and give you the key. But *only if you want to*.
- If you don’t want to - nothing changes. It’s just as secure as it always was.
- That’s freedom. That’s choice. The current situation (and what will probably remain the situation in the US) is not freedom.

And before people start with the argument that the ‘freedom’ is the ability to ‘choose’ android… well, there is no ‘free choice’ if you have no alternative. And news flash: iPhone is widely popular among young people. They will feel socially pressured into getting an iPhone, because otherwise they won’t fit in with their peers. A young person that wants to chat with their friends is pretty much forced to get an iPhone, or they’ll be excluded from the iMessage group chat. Yes there are technically alternatives, but really, there’s not. That’s why Apple is a gatekeeper, and that’s why the EU wants to and needs to enforce freedom.

I’m actually shocked at how many people honestly believe that Apple wants to prevent sideloading for *your* benefit. It’s literally only about their bottom line. If they could legally require sideloaded apps to pay the same commission, they wouldn’t care and it would’ve been an option for a decade already. It’s only about money. Don’t be so naive, please.

Also as a closing remark: freedom and choice is meant for the people. Not for large multinational companies. I couldn’t care less if they have freedom to do whatever they want or not. If there’s one thing large companies have proven, over and over again, is that they have no problem using the ‘freedom’ they get to increase profits, over the backs of normal people.

In short, sideloading != root. Apple still has root. Users do not.
 
People keep comparing this to MacOS but don't seem to be smart enough to realize the data on your phone is significantly more sensitive than the data on your MacBook. Health, Payment, Accounts, contacts, etc. Most of this data I believe is stored on device as part of Apple's "Privacy" efforts. You know all those times Craig or Tim said "And it all stays on device so we can't see a thing!". That's what is at stake basically.

Lets not forget the whole reason this issue keeps coming up over and over again is due to the usual: Money

These massive corps don't want to pay Apple's tax because it's in the millions and sometimes billions.

It's not about freedom. It is literally a money play. I say that as both a Software Developer and happy Apple user.

And for people who will inevitably say "You don't have to use side loading if you don't want to!"...I find it hard to believe companies won't make whatever the third party App Store version of their iOS/iPadOS app cheaper than on the official App Store. It is quite literally inevitable since it gives them leeway to not be as scrutinized in Apple's privacy efforts 🙂
And what people like you don't seem smart enough to realise is that the data you're so worried about being stolen is not accessible from within the sandbox that apps installed from outside the App Store will still be stuck in.
 
I hate how we’ve been tricked into using the word ‘sideloading’ which suggests it’s something dodgy and dangerous to do. In my day it was called ‘installing’.

“In my day”. LoL. Do you even remember what “downloading” and “installing” was before the App store? A f’‘in mess
 
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I'm not even surprised anymore at the amount of people that would rather be ruled by big companies than by any elected governmental institution, be it the EU, the US, the UK, France or whatever. I do wonder why they think those big companies have their interests at heart though, because they don't, unless you're a shareholder of course.
 
People keep comparing this to MacOS but don't seem to be smart enough to realize the data on your phone is significantly more sensitive than the data on your MacBook. Health, Payment, Accounts, contacts, etc. Most of this data I believe is stored on device as part of Apple's "Privacy" efforts. You know all those times Craig or Tim said "And it all stays on device so we can't see a thing!". That's what is at stake basically.

Lets not forget the whole reason this issue keeps coming up over and over again is due to the usual: Money

These massive corps don't want to pay Apple's tax because it's in the millions and sometimes billions.

It's not about freedom. It is literally a money play. I say that as both a Software Developer and happy Apple user.

And for people who will inevitably say "You don't have to use side loading if you don't want to!"...I find it hard to believe companies won't make whatever the third party App Store version of their iOS/iPadOS app cheaper than on the official App Store. It is quite literally inevitable since it gives them leeway to not be as scrutinized in Apple's privacy efforts 🙂
I have the same sensitive data and more (e.g. health and financial pdfs) stored on my mac so I don’t understand your statement.
 
I used to support a phone app with both Apple and Android versions.
There were always more issues with Android devices because cheap hardware ran cheaply, oS versions couldn’t always be updated, the App Store was slow to update so developer would allow side loading.

Overall the apps worked fairly well as there was common code.

The real issue though was Android users would side load other apps and a few times they had malicious code. The IT section had phones playing havoc with email for weeks. Until they found the infected phone.

Then they locked down the network more which affected the app in a parchliar when on first use. It had to use 3/4/5g data rather than the network to validate first time. It was weird.

The point is none of this would have happened if Android users had better app loading protection. Let’s hope Apple are able to better deal with bad code being loaded.
 
All the fake apps that Android users fall victim to, now for iPhone users as well.

Scammers, fake investment apps and fake IT support scams are going to be hitting DMs and social media even harder than ever before.

They are already getting ready. They know how to buy certificates, they know how to hide malicious code inside a friendly interface.

They already have lists of all the most vulnerable people to target.

It only takes a small success rate for them their criminal bosses to acquire vast amounts of wealth.

What do you think they will do with the money and data they steal?

They always buy immunity for themselves by buying politicians, bribing cops and buying up tons of land, including the land under your feet.

This is why the world has become much more rotten in the last decade. Cyber crime is rife and it is corrupting our world.

Social media CEOs are happy to help them. They are friends with the criminal networks and share many of the same investment schemes. They will not stop the scams. They will let them continue even stronger now that the iPhone becomes as weak as Android.
 
Then don’t flip that switch. It’s really as simple as that. Apple will make you go through hoops to do this, you’re not going to do it by accident.

Of course, but I would rather not have the side loading code at all. The only device I would like to keep the option to get software somewhere else is my Mac.
 
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