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

[Galliardist]

You're so cynical. Apple has a review process for apps submitted for inclusion in the app store, and it doesn't look cheap to implement.

App Review - App Store - Apple Developer

Learn about the technical, content, and design criteria used to review apps submitted to the App Store.

developer.apple.com

Apple cares about customer security because their customers value safety. It's as simple as that.

Apple, like any other company, only cares about things to the extent that they are profitable and benefit the shareholders. Remember, twenty five years ago they were bailed out, effectively, by their biggest rival because just for once that rival realised the value of competition, and also because that rival made much more money for every copy of its second most important product (at the time) sold to customers using Macs than they could on their own OS.

Because their previous CEO realised that the new platform they were building could be both more secure and more profitable at the same time, we have iOS today. If they thought that breaking that security model would double their profits in five years, that is precisely what they would do. Remember Google, and "don't be evil"?

 

[Galliardist]

But what if you don't want to use Safari?

Use a different OS. You can also use a different interface that carries the name of your preferred mainstream browser, if that is your issue.

Alternatives are coming to iOS very soon, as reported in this thread. So you can also just wait - a few months at most.

 

[DLS79]

Where they recoded their OS to avoid catastrophic battery failure? Yes.

More like they where trying to cover up there hardware design flaws. You could also go the tinfoil hat route and say they were trying to force obsolescence!

People have lives. They don’t want to deal with dumb shit if they don’t have to. And why should they?

Ignorance isn't something to aspire to. People don't need to be experts but they should have a working knowledge.


By the way this is a car fob, it's hard to buy a car now that doesn't have one!

 

[Galliardist]

More like they where trying to cover up there hardware design flaws. You could also go the tinfoil hat route and say they were trying to force obsolescence!



Ignorance isn't something to aspire to. People don't need to be experts but they should have a working knowledge.


By the way this is a car fob, it's hard to buy a car now that doesn't have one!

View attachment 345312

The real problems with batterygate were not that they restricted use, nor a design issue. The life of the battery is finite and shorter than that of the device.

The issues were:
1) Apple lied and obfuscated, and were caught out.
2) The cost of getting a replacement battery from Apple, who monopolised the repair, was too high.

Apple have been forced to allow other companies to replace batteries and now have to compete on cost.

I may be prepared to trust iOS as more secure than alternatives, but that does not equate to trusting Apple on everything it does. We know who and what they are, just as we know the pitfalls of other OSes.

 

[Koeitje]

Use a different OS. You can also use a different interface that carries the name of your preferred mainstream browser, if that is your issue.

Alternatives are coming to iOS very soon, as reported in this thread. So you can also just wait - a few months at most.

How do I use a different OS on an iPhone?

Then you better hope your preferred browser offers similar features.

The joke is that you only have Safari on iOS . There is no choice.

 

[Galliardist]

How do I use a different OS on an iPhone?

The question as you worked out is about browsers. And, as you know - but couldn't resist the rhetorical question - the way you use a different OS is to use different hardware. My answer follows a number of others that should give that context, if you read enough of the thread.

You can download Chrome, Firefox and other browsers on iOS.

‎Google Chrome

‎Download the new Google Chrome for your iPhone and iPad. Now more simple, secure and faster than ever. Get the best of Google Search, and easily sync your bookmarks and passwords with Chrome on your laptop. Download the fast, secure browser recommended by Google. NEW – you can now set Chrome...

apps.apple.com

‎Firefox: Private, Safe Browser

‎Get the people-first browser that’s backed by a non-profit. It’s a new era in tech. Don’t settle for a browser produced by giant, profit-driven, data-hoarding tech companies. Firefox is the obvious choice for independent, ethical tech that respects your privacy and gives you more ways than...

apps.apple.com

‎Microsoft Edge: AI Browser

‎Microsoft Edge, your AI-powered browser, with Copilot built in to enhance your browsing experience. Empowered by GPT-4, Copilot enables you to ask questions, refine searches, receive comprehensive summaries and create images with DALL-E 3. Microsoft Edge is a smarter way to browse, find, create...

apps.apple.com

‎Opera GX

‎Opera GX brings the gaming lifestyle to your mobile. Express yourself with custom skins, discover free games and the best deals with GX Corner, share links easily between mobile and desktop with My Flow, and much more. All in a secure, private browser. Designed for gamers Opera GX’s unique des…

apps.apple.com

‎DuckDuckGo Private Browser

‎DuckDuckGo for Mac is a free browser that provides the most comprehensive online privacy protection in one app. Unlike most popular browsers, it has powerful privacy protections by default, including our search engine that doesn’t track your history and over a dozen other built-in protections...

apps.apple.com

etc.


The point is that at the moment they all use Webkit as the rendering engine, hence my wording. But proper alternative browsers are promised for version 17.4 of iOS, which should appear mid-year. Part of the reason for making other "browsers" use Webkit was security, and part of it was initially to conserve storage space. Now, the OS is mature enough to constrain other browser engines and accompanying software, and there is obviously a lot more strorage space. Quite possibly another EU decision as well, or the risk of one.

 

[Koeitje]

The question as you worked out is about browsers. And, as you know - but couldn't resist the rhetorical question - the way you use a different OS is to use different hardware. My answer follows a number of others that should give that context, if you read enough of the thread.

You can download Chrome, Firefox and other browsers on iOS.

‎Google Chrome

‎Download the new Google Chrome for your iPhone and iPad. Now more simple, secure and faster than ever. Get the best of Google Search, and easily sync your bookmarks and passwords with Chrome on your laptop. Download the fast, secure browser recommended by Google. NEW – you can now set Chrome...

apps.apple.com

‎Firefox: Private, Safe Browser

‎Get the people-first browser that’s backed by a non-profit. It’s a new era in tech. Don’t settle for a browser produced by giant, profit-driven, data-hoarding tech companies. Firefox is the obvious choice for independent, ethical tech that respects your privacy and gives you more ways than...

apps.apple.com

‎Microsoft Edge: AI Browser

‎Microsoft Edge, your AI-powered browser, with Copilot built in to enhance your browsing experience. Empowered by GPT-4, Copilot enables you to ask questions, refine searches, receive comprehensive summaries and create images with DALL-E 3. Microsoft Edge is a smarter way to browse, find, create...

apps.apple.com

‎Opera GX

‎Opera GX brings the gaming lifestyle to your mobile. Express yourself with custom skins, discover free games and the best deals with GX Corner, share links easily between mobile and desktop with My Flow, and much more. All in a secure, private browser. Designed for gamers Opera GX’s unique des…

apps.apple.com

‎DuckDuckGo Private Browser

‎DuckDuckGo for Mac is a free browser that provides the most comprehensive online privacy protection in one app. Unlike most popular browsers, it has powerful privacy protections by default, including our search engine that doesn’t track your history and over a dozen other built-in protections...

apps.apple.com

etc.


The point is that at the moment they all use Webkit as the rendering engine, hence my wording. But proper alternative browsers are promised for version 17.4 of iOS, which should appear mid-year. Part of the reason for making other "browsers" use Webkit was security, and part of it was initially to conserve storage space. Now, the OS is mature enough to constrain other browser engines and accompanying software, and there is obviously a lot more strorage space. Quite possibly another EU decision as well, or the risk of one.

As you point out, all of these are just skins for Safari. For example, the Firefox you are linking isn't based on Gecko. So its not really Firefox. Its like saying those Android phones with iPhone skins are iPhones. That is clearly not true.

 

[Galliardist]

As you point out, all of these are just skins for Safari. For example, the Firefox you are linking isn't based on Gecko. So its not really Firefox. Its like saying those Android phones with iPhone skins are iPhones. That is clearly not true.

Strictly speaking, they are all just skins for Webkit, rather than skins for Safari, and they do bring some of the features people want. They are actual releases from the providers, which is different from an "iPhone skin" which does not come from Apple.

But it's about to get better:

Just now, having looked Apple's documentation (which I've missed previously):

Using alternative browser engines in the European Union - Support - Apple Developer

developer.apple.com

I stand corrected....
Other rendering engines, other than WebKit is coming to iOS 17.4.
Which is excellent news, since iOS users will finally have real options for web browsers.

Current iOS browsers are very much the same, all using WebKit engine, which limits their ability to do a lot of functions.

Here's a great example.
Current AdGuard for iOS (from Apple Store) can only perform both basic and cosmetic filtering.
It cannot do HTML filtering. HTML filtering is where AdGuard will be able to alter HTML code of the page, before it's loaded. This is a more advanced version that allows for complex filtering rules that's currently not possible with current WebKit rendering engine.

So the next questions becomes....Which applications or extensions support HTML filtering using AdGuard products?

How to create your own ad filters | AdGuard Knowledge Base

In this article, we explain how to write custom filtering rules for use in AdGuard products. To test your rules, you can download the AdGuard app

adguard.com

Currently supported on:
1. adguard for windows (of course, since the desktop OS can do anything)
2. adguard for mac (of course, since the desktop OS can do anything)
3. adguard for android (this is the advantage of android over the ios)
4. adguard browser extension for firefox (this is an advantage that firefox has over other browsers)

The other program that does HTML filtering is uBlock Origin.

The fact that your iPhone will be able to use another rendering engine, allows for adguard (or ublock origin for example), to develop an app for these 3rd party browsers (that will be able to be side-loaded).
That's a huge win for anyone using an iPhone, since this technology is currently not available for iOS (only for Android).

This increases the security and privacy of your web browser for iOS, which is a win for everyone.

When I can install ublock origin on my iPhone, I will.

 

[Koeitje]

Strictly speaking, they are all just skins for Webkit, rather than skins for Safari, and they do bring some of the features people want. They are actual releases from the providers, which is different from an "iPhone skin" which does not come from Apple.

But it's about to get better:

When I can install ublock origin on my iPhone, I will.

And Apple killed all alternatives with their new policy:

Mozilla says Apple’s new browser rules are “as painful as possible” for Firefox

Mozilla is “extremely disappointed.”

www.theverge.com

 

[sweetchaos]

And Apple killed all alternatives with their new policy:

Mozilla says Apple’s new browser rules are “as painful as possible” for Firefox

Mozilla is “extremely disappointed.”

www.theverge.com

Not killed, but Apple didn’t make it easy.

Apple has forced these browser makers to be stuck using the engine that Apple developed instead of the real engine that those browsers use on every other platform. Now since Apple has relaxed these rules in the EU only those companies are now being essentially forced to develop two apps, one for the EU and one for everyone else.

I really hope Firefox develops and publishes their own browser for the EU iPhones, so users will benefit from this.

With the hope that when Apple allows for side-loading of apps worldwide, Firefox (and other developers) efforts wouldn’t have been in vain.

Mozilla should start a fund-me page for this project, so that people will show them how much they appreciate the Firefox browser.

#lovefirefox

 

[mhardy6647]

Much of the intrigue in "personal computing" -- at least in the "www" era, began, it may be recalled, with browser wars.
Netscape, anyone?

 

[Koeitje]

Not killed, but Apple didn’t make it easy.

Apple has forced these browser makers to be stuck using the engine that Apple developed instead of the real engine that those browsers use on every other platform. Now since Apple has relaxed these rules in the EU only those companies are now being essentially forced to develop two apps, one for the EU and one for everyone else.

I really hope Firefox develops and publishes their own browser for the EU iPhones, so users will benefit from this.

With the hope that when Apple allows for side-loading of apps worldwide, Firefox (and other developers) efforts wouldn’t have been in vain.

Mozilla should start a fund-me page for this project, so that people will show them how much they appreciate the Firefox browser.

#lovefirefox

Its not just that, its also that they will have to pay per installation:

Here’s the new Apple tax every developer is going to hate

50 cents is the new 30 percent.

www.theverge.com

So Apple is opening its platform as long as you pay tons of money that you wouldn't have to pay on their own store. That's not going to make the EU happy.

 

[sweetchaos]

Yeah, what Apple did with this “fee” can’t be legal.

I can see why developers aren’t thrilled about this.

In other words, Apple is fighting hard to keep every penny they're going to be missing. Greedy much?

 

[DLS79]

Yeah, what Apple did with this “fee” can’t be legal.

I can see why developers aren’t thrilled about this.

In other words, Apple is fighting hard to keep every penny they're going to be missing. Greedy much?

An "evil empire" that needs dismantled!

 

[Keith_W]

In other words, Apple is fighting hard to keep every penny they're going to be missing. Greedy much?

One thing that I have always found strange is that Apple users actually defend Apple's anti-consumer behaviour.

Exhibit #1: In this very thread, people are spreading FUD about sideloading. If you don't want to sideload, don't sideload. Why is there so much fear about it when you already do the very same thing with your computers? Opening up the device that YOU OWN so that you can do what YOU want with it is somehow a bad thing!

Exhibit #2: Apple slowing down your old iPhone to "extend battery life" is somehow a good thing. There are other ways to deal with battery issues - charge more often, bring along a battery bank, enable optimizations to put apps to sleep more aggressively, send you a notification for a battery replacement, etc. But no - making the device YOU OWN slower through a non-reversible OS update to force you to buy a new iPhone is good.

Exhibit #3: Apple's SSD's which can never be upgraded to a higher capacity + extortionate pricing for SSD upgrades. The excuse is that Apple's SSD's somehow perform better than the usual M2 SSD's found in PC's. So why make it impossible to upgrade then? I have never seen an excuse for that one.

Exhibit #4: many Apple users are proud that Apple has a fraction of the smartphone market, yet takes the lion's share of profits. Umm, how do you think they do that? Answer: by bilking Apple users.

I got out of the Apple ecosystem and into Android many years ago, when they still had "Don't be Evil" as their motto. However, lately I am starting to get annoyed with them. Example, slowing down your computer if you have a Youtube adblocker installed is evil. They haven't reached Apple level evilness yet, but IF at some point in the future Google become the bad guys and Apple moderates their anti-consumer behaviour, I will switch back to Apple.

 

[darrellc]

Here’s an interesting long form blog post from Sinofsky on this. Read if u want informed expert opinion rather than forum musings.

Building Under Regulation [215.]

An essay on the EU Digital Markets Act and Apple’s Update on apps distributed in the European Union (and some personal history)

open.substack.com

 

[sweetchaos]

Over the years, Apple has faced several controversies related to its products, some of which have been referred to as "-gate" scandals due to their similarity to the Watergate scandal. Here are some notable examples involving Apple devices:

1. Antennagate (2010): This controversy involved the iPhone 4's antenna design, which caused signal loss when held in certain ways. Steve Jobs initially dismissed concerns about the issue, leading to criticism from consumers and media outlets. Eventually, Apple offered free cases to affected users and refunds to those who had already purchased one.
2. Mapsgate (2012): With the release of iOS 6, Apple replaced Google Maps with its own Maps app. The new app received criticism for inaccuracies, missing features, and other navigation issues. Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a public apology, and improvements were made over subsequent updates.
3. ChargerGate (2013): Some users reported issues with counterfeit or third-party chargers causing safety concerns. In response, Apple launched an exchange program allowing users to trade in non-compliant chargers for discounted Apple-branded ones.
4. Bendgate (2014): When the iPhone 6 Plus was released, reports emerged that the device could bend easily if subjected to pressure or force. While Apple claimed that only a small number of customers were affected, the incident led to negative publicity and memes on social media.
5. Error 53 (2016): Some iPhone owners reported that their devices became bricked after updating to iOS 9 because of a faulty Touch ID sensor. Apple later acknowledged that the error message was intended to protect user data by disabling devices with non-genuine parts installed during repairs.
6. Throttlegate (2017): It was discovered that Apple intentionally slowed down older iPhones through software updates to manage battery performance issues. After facing backlash, Apple apologized and offered discounted battery replacements for affected models.
7. Facepalmgate (2018): Users noticed that the TrueDepth camera system used for facial recognition on the iPhone X could be fooled using masks or photographs. Although Apple stated that such attacks would be rare in real-world scenarios, the company improved face detection algorithms in subsequent releases.
8. Butterflygate (2019): MacBook Pro keyboards featuring butterfly switches received widespread criticism for being prone to failure and requiring expensive repairs. Apple eventually replaced the problematic mechanism with a new scissor switch design starting with the 16-inch MacBook Pro model.
9. Flexgate (2019): Some MacBook Pro users reported issues with the display flex cable, leading to uneven backlighting and a "stage light" effect. Apple later implemented a display cable design change in newer models.
10. Lightninggate (2021): European Union lawmakers proposed legislation that would require smartphone manufacturers like Apple to adopt USB-C charging ports instead of proprietary connectors like Lightning.

Aren't most of these related to Apple's inability to admit their faults and/or monetary reasons?
Also, aren't most of these changes as a result of either class-action lawsuits or government agencies (such as Lightninggate)?

I can't figure out Apple's approach. A lot of times they will fix issues without fuss. Other times, they are stubborn as hell, and only after a big -"gate" event, they will do something.
That's just chaotic.

Not to say that Google hasn't had an equal amount of -"gate" events as well.

 

[Ron Texas]

@sweetchaos nobody's perfect. Maybe you can find a large company which hasn't had any problems with their products, but there would not be many.
A few that I can think of offhand:
VW for dieselgate
BP, for oil spills and catastrophic accidents
Boeing, for the 737 Max and more recently the Max 9 door plug
Enron, remember them?
Nestle buys the sole water supply in areas of poor countries then bottles and sells it at unaffordable prices.
Dihatsu for falsifying automobile safety tests
Chinese companies made wallboard contaminated with sulfur, contaminated flooring and contaminated milk.
If you haven't had a controversy, you probably aren't trying to do anything.

 

[mhardy6647]

I got out of the Apple ecosystem and into Android many years ago, when they still had "Don't be Evil" as their motto.

Just a point of order if I may. Don't be evil was, famously, Google's corporate motto.
They changed it quite a while ago. I believe they struck the words Don't and be.

 

[jhwalker]

Just a point of order if I may. Don't be evil was, famously, Google's corporate motto.
They changed it quite a while ago. I believe they struck the words Don't and be.

… or just the word, “Don’t” …