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You and me both.

And even once they do, the forums will still complain and make bad takes about alternative app stores/sideloading/installing software like normal on desktop.
Reality is a bad take? LOL

Security Researchers, even after they do, will still see a very small percentage of fake apps on the App Store and a vastly larger number not on the App Store, just like today for desktops.
 
Granted, 10 sounds like a lot. And to us individuals it is. However, compared to the huge amount of submissions and traffic in the store, 10 doesn't even make the radar. It would be nice if Apple employees could catch every bad actor in the beginning but, it's just not possible. Condemning Apple for this is not really realistic. And those condemning Apple should know better if said people cared about making applicable, prudent, realistic comments that actually addressed the issue, instead of making forum fodder.
 
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The App Store certainly has plenty of issues, but just consider how much worse it would be if Apple just let everyone post any app they wanted without any attempt at oversight...
It looks like it might not be any worse. At least users would try to be more cognizant of what apps they are downloading instead of being lulled into a false sense of security.
 
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All the people thinking that they're calling Apple's bluff by pointing out that their system doesn't catch 100% of bad apps ignore the fact that a filter which catches 90% or even 75% of bad apps is still better than no filter at all. If people could download apps straight from the internet and install them, most devs won't bother using the App Store, and at that point, who's going to maintain a comprehensive database of safe apps pro bono?

I only support side-loading via computer (i.e. iTunes, iMazing, or Xcode style).
It’s called self responsibility.
 
It’s called self responsibility.
Having to vet apps thoroughly oneself takes time. The point of an App Store is that one can just search “pdf reader” or “chess” and be given a list of safe options with no more effort on their part. If one has the time to vet each app they ever consider downloading then those people can go ahead and spend a little extra time to install via USB/lightning.

I took self responsibility and chose a platform that requires less time and thought than others, and to change the way the platform works after I already paid for it working this way would stink. (And don’t beat the dead horse crying that I’d still have the option to use only the App Store. If non-App Store options exist, many apps that don’t like Apple’s Privacy restrictions would be active only outside the App Store. Many of which people require for things like work and school and thus have to download anyway)
 
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It looks like it might not be any worse. At least users would try to be more cognizant of what apps they are downloading instead of being lulled into a false sense of security.
Ah, like folks on desktops, who are absolutely NOT lulled into a false sense of security that the App Store brings, are adept at avoiding world changing security exploits and do NOT have their identity stolen or bank accounts wiped daily. I mean, except for the millions that ARE affected…
 
I agree. Imagine how much worse it will be if apple did allow sideloading. Would move from ad-fraud to financial fraud.
1664229908298.png
 
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The story literally says it is worse on Android so unless someone reading the story has cognitive problems, this story backs up Apple and proves sideloading is a menace when it comes to piracy and and ad fraud.

Developers wont benefit one bit from sideloading because apps will be pirated massively and a lot of those pirate apps will contain malware and user tracking ads.

As people point out, the only people who support sideloading on smart phones are:

- organized criminals spamming forums to demand sideloading.
- pirates who don’t want to pay for apps.
- just people with a bad grudge and a chip on their shoulder.
100%

here contains a list of the Apple App Store & Google Play Store.

 
To those people hating on Apple's store having apps where there is ad fraud. Have Apple ever denied having rogue apps?
 
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But... but... the App Store is the guardian of iOS safety! That's totally the case because Apple reviews all apps and makes sure the ecosystem is kept safe and is not a trashy mix of whatever makes Apple a buxk... and totally not because they want to milk developers and restain users. Such things only happen with sideloading and jailbreaking. This article must be a figment of someone's confused mind.
 
You left out:

- app buyers who'd rather support a developer/company directly instead of seeing a cut of sales go to a middle person

- people who want a legit app (e.g. VPN), but Apple caved to a country's (PRC) demands and removed them from the App Store

- Apple removing legit apps just because they haven't been updated in a while even if the apps don't require an update. (If it's not broke, why would the developer need to provide an update for it?)

- people who want a legit app (e.g. Fortnite), but the developer doesn't think Apple should get a cut of revenue for doing nothing and so Apple removed it from their App Store
Supporting the developer more and Apple less isn’t just about altruism. If there is an app I use frequently I would much rather the revenues go more toward the future development of that particular app than to support general maintenance and marketing of an app store.
 
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But... but... the App Store is the guardian of iOS safety! That's totally the case because Apple reviews all apps and makes sure the ecosystem is kept safe and is not a trashy mix of whatever makes Apple a buxk... and totally not because they want to milk developers and restain users. Such things only happen with sideloading and jailbreaking. This article must be a figment of someone's confused mind.
The same population who claims that somehow apple should be fixing bugs, not introducing new emojis because they can’t do both at the same time.
 
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But... but... the App Store is the guardian of iOS safety! That's totally the case because Apple reviews all apps and makes sure the ecosystem is kept safe and is not a trashy mix of whatever makes Apple a buxk... and totally not because they want to milk developers and restain users. Such things only happen with sideloading and jailbreaking. This article must be a figment of someone's confused mind.
Have Apple ever denied rogue apps getting through or is it other people trying to faux a hatred because Apples standards and actions are far far greater than those of the opposing store.
 
The App Store is already much worse with the sheer amount of knockoffs and bootleg apps. Articles like this is just more ammo in favor of sideloading and alternative app stores as it disproves Apple's lies more and more.
I’m in favor of opening up side-loading and allowing other app stores but you have it completely backwards. This is more ammo against side-loading and alternative app stores.
 
But... but... the App Store is the guardian of iOS safety! That's totally the case because Apple reviews all apps and makes sure the ecosystem is kept safe and is not a trashy mix of whatever makes Apple a buxk... and totally not because they want to milk developers and restain users. Such things only happen with sideloading and jailbreaking. This article must be a figment of someone's confused mind.
No, you misunderstand, these things happen sideloading or not because there are folks constantly making the effort because it financially benefits them.. It would just be far more than only 10 fake apps available to users with sideloading.
 
Reality is a bad take? LOL

Security Researchers, even after they do, will still see a very small percentage of fake apps on the App Store and a vastly larger number not on the App Store, just like today for desktops.
Car Accident Researchers: In 2020, 5 million car accidents were reported in the US. 43% of it resulted in injuries and there was 34824 deaths. So we better forbid cars for the sake of life.

And while we are at it, what about guns?
ô_Ô USA!

What a wonderful distorted security bubble, side-loading is evil 😱
 
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The story literally says it is worse on Android so unless someone reading the story has cognitive problems, this story backs up Apple and proves sideloading is a menace when it comes to piracy and and ad fraud.

Developers wont benefit one bit from sideloading because apps will be pirated massively and a lot of those pirate apps will contain malware and user tracking ads.

As people point out, the only people who support sideloading on smart phones are:

- organized criminals spamming forums to demand sideloading.
- pirates who don’t want to pay for apps.
- just people with a bad grudge and a chip on their shoulder.

I get your point but those aren’t quite the only ones. i think the bad outweighs the good as well, but I think the thing people have the most problem with (as usual with Apple) is the hypocrisy in practice. Legitimate developers have problems with App Review, and not just technical ones.

I grew up in a time when people ran whatever software they wanted on their computers without having to seek permission. There was a golden age of great software and yes, there was malware then too. And then there was an age of malware where locked down stores seemed to be a good solution. But then that became a means of control, and also there is still malware.

Maybe Apple is right to be the last holdout of the walled garden, on mobile anyway. But the control aspect is disheartening. The other OS vendors are heading in the direction of more control, with even less quality.

Already Microsoft is slowly tightening the noose on enforcing all applications to come from their store. Google allows it but clearly discourages it. Apple is talking down about it on the Mac and perhaps tightening the noose there as well.

This whole argument might be moot in ten years when nobody can run anything on any computing device without strict control of the platform provider. I don’t want to live in that world.
 
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Not only did the Android store have 7 times the number of bad apps, that was the Android walled garden. If you look at the side loading platforms, the percentage of compromised apps approaches 100%. Let one sideloaded app on your device and your entire device is compromised.
Well, potentially yes, but there are plenty of reputable companies who provide sideloaded apps. I used to sideload whatsapp because you weren't allowed to install it on tablets (do they allow it on ipads today?), and my Autel drone app is now available on both app stores, but was a sideloaded apk download for a long time. There were several times I wanted older version of apps because the newer ones removed functionality. Answer: Sideload.

Then there were many apps I sideloaded to my Amazon Kindle Fire because they weren't available through the Kindle store. These apps were all legit apps available through the Google Play store, but that's not available to Kindle users.

I've sideloaded extensions to my Windows browser because Google banned them for circumventing ads (AdNausem, NoTrack)--same concept.
 
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No way! I was told that having a carefully-guarded app store would prevent security holes like this.

That’s a lie. Nobody has ever said that. It’s a made-up point from Apple naysayers so they can scream bloody murder when the inevitable bad App sneaks through.

What Apple HAS said is that their method is better at stopping such threats. Not that it’s 100% foolproof (no software is).

And with over 7x as many of these Apps on Android it appears they were right.
 
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