Last update: February 4, 2024, 11:00 AM IST
Apple continues to publicly share its concerns about allowing side-loaded apps
Apple is bringing sideloading apps to iOS for some users and the company is now explaining the risks to users and their iPhones.
Apple was forced to allow third-party app stores for iPhone users in Europe, but the company continues to share its displeasure with the change. This time, Phil Schiller is the person advocating the walled garden around iOS for its users. Interestingly, Schiller also talks about developers having new options, by which he means allowing other payment systems to be used for in-app purchases.
The Apple executive was quoted in an interview this month as the company looks to make changes needed to comply with EU rules that take effect in March 2024. He highlighted the risks associated with third-party app stores that Apple cannot control in the same way it can do with your own App Store. He also pointed out that the company will do everything to reduce the obvious risks that iPhone users could face in the near future.
Further detailing the risk, Schiller said, third-party app stores allow iPhones to run content that was previously blocked on the platform. “We will not decide whether those other markets will have the same conditions and restrictions,” Schiller said in this report.
The freedom to install apps from any app store on the iPhone may sound liberating for users, but Apple is concerned about apps that are only available outside of the App Store, and that’s where the control and monitoring aspect for the company goes astray. Apple is definitely concerned about its business in Europe, which has forced the company to make drastic changes in its rules, which includes the commission that developers charge for placing their applications in the App Store.
The latest iOS 17.4 beta shows us the future of the platform and the company’s two-pronged strategy, with the iOS version targeting Europe while other countries continue with business as usual.
