Last Updated: November 14, 2023, 07:00 IST
Apple is being forced to offer sideloading of apps on iOS by the EU
Apple will most likely limit the feature to select countries with a new iOS update for iPhone users who can install any apps.
Apple is planning for some big changes on iOS and many suspected those updates will be rolling out as early as next month. But turns out, the company is likely to reserve those new features for iPhone users till early next year. The new report from Bloomberg contradicts a recent piece which hinted that iOS could get support for sideloading of apps with the iOS 17.2 update that is set to roll out in December this year.
But the new developments say that Apple will push the timeline for this support to select markets and bring it some time early 2024. One of the big changes from Apple for users in European Union (EU) countries will be the power to install apps from any app store apart from the Apple App Store. The Bloomberg story also refers to the previous article and says it misread the new code of iOS 17.2 and suggested the feature will be rolled out with this version.
Having the option to install apps from anywhere for iPhone users has never been offered by Apple but the new EU laws force the company to open the gates for third-party app stores. Having this option also means that Apple misses out on the 15 to 30 percent commission from developers who have hosted the apps on the App Store for many years.
The report also says that Apple will most likely push a localised update for iPhone users in the EU countries, which means that Apple will not offer sideloading of apps for iPhone users globally.
The most intriguing part about the report is that Apple is likely to place a controlled system to monitor which apps are being installed on iPhones but that might invite further scrutiny from the privacy advocates as well as the EU regulators.
Having said that, opening iOS to sideloading of apps does bring more pressure on the company as it has to ensure the security of iPhone users is not compromised, something that Apple has always feared about this feature and hence decided against offering it to the users.
