[Dismas]

This likely comes in relation to the Epic Games lawsuit, since Fortnite cannot be downloaded using the app store - people want to sideload it. To sideload is to install applications directly, without use of the official app store. When I had an iPhone 2/3, sideloading was limited to jailbroken phones with Cydia. While Android has always allowed sideloading, it's unlikely Apple ever will.

Facing calls from regulators to open the gates to alternative app stores and sideloaded apps on the iPhone, Apple has launched a substantial public-relations push this week to make the case that sideloading would do harm to the iOS ecosystem and its users.

The campaign builds on a recent quote from an interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook, in which he said that sideloading is "not in the best interests of the user."

The cornerstone of Apple's messaging is a new white paper the company has published. The paper's release appears closely timed with the US House Judiciary Committee's debates about potential tech antitrust legislation.

Preceding the white paper's main body of content, Apple surfaces quotes from authorities on cybersecurity advising users not to sideload apps or use third-party app stores. From the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity in 2016:

Use the official application marketplace only. Users should... not [download applications] from third-party sources, to minimise the risk of installing a malicious application. Users should not sideload applications if they do not originate from a legitimate and authentic source.

Another quote comes from a US Department of Homeland Security Report from 2017:

The best practices identified for mitigating threats from vulnerable apps are relevant to malicious and privacy-invasive apps. Additionally, users should avoid (and enterprises should prohibit on their devices) sideloading of apps and the use of unauthorized app stores.

Read More: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/06/...nterviews/

[Dismas]

More of "Apple knows best"...

[Boudica]

Apples stance is "we will control the decisions for you, so you don't have to". Although, in fairness, it's not like anyone is forced to use their products. It's the consumers choice to purchase that product. Have a problem with not being able to side load apps? Don't buy Apple.

I'm not saying I agree with Apples decisions, but there's a reason I've never owned any of their phones, and given the going price for a Samsung these days, it's definitely not just down to price.