Last Updated: November 12, 2023, 11:00 IST
Apple faces more pressure from the EU to change the rules for iPhone
iPhones have never supported sideloading of apps but Apple could finally make another a big change for its users.
Apple is prepared to release the upcoming iOS 17.2 update for iPhone users in the near future, and the details for the new version indicate significant changes. One thing that’s clear about some of these changes is that Apple could be quite concerned about what it plans to offer to iPhone users with the new version.
According to reports and details given by 9to5Mac, Apple could be on the verge of yielding to the pressure of the European Union and allowing other app stores to operate on iPhones through sideloading of apps.
For those who have followed the conflict between Apple and the EU regulators, the former is being pushed to comply with the new Digital Markets Act (DMA) which mandates a series of changes to ensure fair competition among all tech companies.
Apple has been staunchly opposed to the idea of allowing iPhone users to sideload apps, but the new code lines of the iOS 17.2 beta version, as seen in the report, suggest that these policies are set to change, posing a major security challenge for the company. It’s worth noting that only hints in the code suggest that iOS will support sideloading apps, so it’s likely that Apple could be planning a major change in the near future, possibly with the iOS 17.2.1 or later iterations.
Apple has refrained from opening iOS to other app stores, but one of the conditions of the DMA from the EU is that users must be allowed to install apps from any app store, including those that are not compatible with the device. The company will have a lot of work to do behind the scenes to ensure that sideloading of apps doesn’t harm the performance of an iPhone.
We all know that Android has always supported sideloading of apps, but the success of the feature is limited, especially when it has been difficult to monitor the nature of these third-party apps installed on the phones.
The severity of the problem has even forced Google to require a security check for all sideloaded apps, which is understandable to some extent. However, privacy advocates would argue that the company is attempting to control these actions as well. Apple was also finally forced into adopting USB C for iPhones by the EU, and it remains to be seen how sideloading of apps on an iPhone will be handled.
