Apple is forced to allow installation of 3rd party Apps (outside of their official store) in the EU

[sweetchaos]

I think the older the audience, the less they care about side-loading apps.
On the other hand, younger generation wants more control and customization for their mobile devices.
People in their 20's all talk about how limited iOS is.
They always show me features that Android OS have, that iOS users wishes they had.

So if this change brings current Android OS users back to iOS, I'm okay with that.
For me, I like the simplicity of iOS, but I like the functionality of some Android apps.
In other words, I welcome this change, since it allows me to stick to iOS, but with more modern technology coming soon, that Apple is currently restricting.

 

[jhaider]

The bigger question is why Apple users would think they benefit from this. I am not one, but the Apple users I know probably could not care less about this new openess.

As an "Apple guy," that's exactly right.

Phones have so much sensitive data on them that I at least don't want unvetted apps to potentially have access to my data. I suspect the big winner here will be the dark web.

 

[diddley]

What is sideloading?

 

[sweetchaos]

You know how you can just install any .APK files (say from an open-source app provided via github page) for Android OS, without downloading these apps from the official Play Store?

That's sideloading.

Sideloading implies you're not going through the official store for that particular OS.

 

[Keith_W]

What is sideloading?

This is what you currently do on your PC or Mac. Any app that you do not obtain from the official Microsoft (or Apple) app store which you download directly from the publisher's website is "sideloading". For example, REW is not available in the Microsoft Store, so I download and install it directly from REW's website.

So yeah, whilst it is possible for me to download and install something nasty, the onus is on me to check before downloading potentially suspect software and make sure I protect myself. Any computer owner already does this. Why they do not want this feature to come to their phones is beyond me.

 

[darrellc]

I can’t wait for my 14 year old gamer-hacker son to start sideloading suspect apps to his iPhone.

 

[diddley]

This is what you currently do on your PC or Mac. Any app that you do not obtain from the official Microsoft (or Apple) app store which you download directly from the publisher's website is "sideloading". For example, REW is not available in the Microsoft Store, so I download and install it directly from REW's website.

So yeah, whilst it is possible for me to download and install something nasty, the onus is on me to check before downloading potentially suspect software and make sure I protect myself. Any computer owner already does this. Why they do not want this feature to come to their phones is beyond me.

Thank you for clarification!

 

[Newman]

How about any wifi analytics tool that's freely available for Android OS?

Apple has blocked most wifi tools.

I have Network Analyser and Network Tools. Not that I use them much or understand half their lingo. But they exist on iOS.

If the big gripe against iOS from the user base is mainly coming from inhabitants of Geek Central, then I think that’s no biggie and inconsequential to the general user base.

PS with some of your more recent posts, I think the colour of your undies is showing…

 

[Newman]

Once the DMA goes into effect on March 6, Apple will need to allow iPhone users in EU countries, including Austria, Belgium, Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and others, to install apps outside the App Store.

I don’t think this is, at all, about users getting access to more apps.

I think it is about developers having smoke pouring from their ears about Apple getting a cut from the sales of their products. Specifically a big cut. And the size of that cut infuriates them.

 

[amirm]

How will Apple check that you're not in EU? That's the main question.

IP based?
Change your IP with VPN.

Cellular based?
Will every app check your cellular information when it opens? I don't know.

I can think of two easy ways:

1. Put a different revision of the OS for phones sold in EU. Microsoft did this by building special version of Windows for a few countries.

2. Same version of the OS but look up the cellular connection. This only impacts whether the OS allows side loading. There is no impact on apps.

 

[Rednaxela]

This is what you currently do on your PC or Mac.

This is true. I do this on my PC all the time. Same on the Mac when I used to have one.

In all honesty I’m not sure why I’m so underwhelmed by the prospect of having this on my iPhone or iPad too.

 

[Vovgan]

Apple user here. Can’t think of anything I’d wanna sideload. But we’ll see.

Apple user *in Russia* here. We have had all apps of our major banks deleted from App Store last year. So sideloading is critical for us.

 

[Venture4663]

I can think of two easy ways:

1. Put a different revision of the OS for phones sold in EU. Microsoft did this by building special version of Windows for a few countries.

2. Same version of the OS but look up the cellular connection. This only impacts whether the OS allows side loading. There is no impact on apps.

The could tie the geo-specific user ID to a regionally appropriate credit card. To get a credit card requires hoop jumping (i.e some kind of fixed address) to prevent casual account migrations.

 

[Galliardist]

As an iPhone user in my workplace, and someone who has occasional contact with phone OS support for people with lots of brains and little sense: I value the iOS walled garden highly.

I don't mind sideloading being allowed as such, but if it has to happen, I want it to be very difficult, and I want tools to prevent corporate users (where sensitive data may be on the device) to be prevented from this sort of activity, to protect themselves as well as the data. And it must not allow bad actors to hack phones more easily.

I've handled a couple of devices that were "jailbroken" only for the additional app loaded afterwards to be spyware, and we've had our share of bricked Android devices down the years (and sideloaded apps have been a common cause there).

Believe me, these days it's necessary for large entities to have to lock down their Windows and Apple computers as tightly as any iOS device, with additional handicaps and annoyances in regular use.

All sideloading on iOS will do in the corporate space is result in new countermeasures that will make life even harder for users in the long run.

I am aware that the other side of this is that individual users end up frustrated that they have super powerful computers in their pockets that they can't fully exploit even to the extent of blocking ads on webpages. In the end though, do you just end up with 100% CPU usage much of the time for the security software you have to run in return for that privilege?

 

[sweetchaos]

Apple user *in Russia* here. We have had all apps of our major banks deleted from App Store last year. So sideloading is critical for us.

So is Apple is complying with Russia's government (through a court order, or whatever) to take down official App Store apps?
Meaning whatever App Store app that Russia wants taken down, Apple will comply?

 

[CarbonMakerU]

The audience on this site has a far superior grasp of not only audio/computer/electrical science but also basic common sense than the majority of the social media obsessed herd out there. This may be great for those with the aptitude but the downside in the form of cool looking, must have, malicious apps is bottomless for everyone else.
Caveat emptor.

 

[sweetchaos]

If you're a business, then you can use Mobile Device Management (MDM) to lock down the OS before giving it to the employees.
So locking down side-loading of apps will be another checkmark you can tick off, I believe.
That way, Apple complies with EU law, but since the device is managed by the business, businesses are allowed to lock it down as they see fit.

Perhaps this will also become available for "Family Sharing" type of setups. In which case you, if you're the parent and you buy an iPhone for your kid, then you can still control various elements of their experience through the "Family Sharing" lockdown feature. Which is similar to MDM, but for parents/kids.

 

[Jeromeof]

If you or your company have an apple developer account - you could sideload IOS applications for years (they just need to be re-sign the App with your apple developer account). I have been keep a copy of Kodi and a few other Apps on my iPhone and iPad for years.

So, I do hope they make is slightly both easier than this on IOS but still more difficult than Android to sideload. The amount of crap I see on dubious websites with detailed instructions to Android users to simple "go to settings" then click "Allow Unknown sources" etc

 

[sweetchaos]

In the end though, do you just end up with 100% CPU usage much of the time for the security software you have to run in return for that privilege?

Well, just look at how Google handles security from official apps from "Play Store" as well as side-loaded apps.

According to Google, Google Play Protect continuously scans apps on your device for harmful behavior. This means that it is constantly checking the apps installed on your device in the background to ensure they are safe and not engaging in any malicious activity.

Google Play Protect also periodically sends app updates to its database of known threats and good apps, so it can stay up-to-date with the latest information about potential security risks. It uses this updated information to scan your device and check for any newly identified threats.

Additionally, when you install a new app from the Google Play Store or from another source outside of the store, Google Play Protect will automatically scan the app before it is installed to make sure it doesn't contain any known threats.

Overall, while Google Play Protect is always running in the background and continually monitoring your device for potential threats, there isn't a specific schedule for how frequently it checks apps. Instead, it relies on real-time analysis and continuous monitoring to keep your device secure.

Whether Apple implements a similar approach, only time will tell.

My assumption is...they'll have to copy Android's approach.
Meaning they'll be forced to scan non App Store apps both upon installation and periodically.
Which means your iPhone's processor will periodically spike up just to scan all of your apps.... just like Android OS does right now.
Not scanning of side-loaded apps will be costly for Apple.
Just like it was for Android OS, until they implemented this approach.

 

[Vovgan]

So is Apple is complying with Russia's government (through a court order, or whatever) to take down official App Store apps?
Meaning whatever App Store app that Russia wants taken down, Apple will comply?

Apple, being a US company, is taking down apps of our Russian banks sanctioned by the US. Whether they take down apps at request from Russian gov if they do not violate App Store rules - I am not so sure. Apple is much more cavalier about paying fines to the Russian govt (just a few weeks ago paid ~ $12m) than following its requests to take smth down.