Apple Will Reportedly Allow Sideloading Apps With IOS 17
After a fierce battle with alternative iPhone "downloads" from app stores, Apple now wants to allow next year's iOS 17 to comply with European laws. The Bloomberg report also notes that Apple is trying to open up its camera and NFC (Near Field Communication) package to developers.
Apple's narrow approach has until now required iPhone users to download apps only from Apple's App Store. Android, on the other hand, allows users to install third-party app stores on their devices.
Apple's sideloading project has already begun under the direction of Andreas Wendker, the company's vice president of engineering, who reports to Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, according to a Bloomberg report. Top executives such as Jeff Robin and Eddie Cue are reportedly involved in the project.
The European Digital Market Act (DMA) comes into effect next year and companies will have until 2024 to comply. The new rules require major tech companies to allow alternative app stores on their platforms to give users more choice, and Apple is likely to follow suit.
Apple has already pledged support for USB-C due to EU pressure to standardize charging ports. Now that DMA is around the corner, you can force the Cupertino company to allow sideloading.
Does the developer win?
If Apple opens another app store, developers won't have to pay the tech giant a 30% (or in some cases 15%) commission on in-app purchases. That could comfort a number of companies, including Spotify, Tinder/Match Group and, most recently, Twitter, which have criticized Apple's fee structure.
Apple currently allows some developers to use third-party payment processors in certain markets, such as all developers in South Korea and dating app developers in the Netherlands. However, they still have to pay a lot of money to Apple.
If the WFD forces Apple to allow third-party app stores in the EU, regulators in other countries are likely to follow suit, and Apple's current work to ensure downloads of apps not released in iOS 17 could be expanded to support other jurisdictions .
The news comes as Portuguese alternative app store Aptoide released a jailbroken version of iOS for Android. The company's co-founder and CEO Paulo Tregentos told TechCrunch that he believes Apple will open third-party app stores.
The Bloomberg report also notes that new EU rules could force Apple to open up more of its ecosystem, including cameras, NFC stacks and browser engines.
Currently, all iPhone browsers, including Chrome and Firefox, must use Apple's WebKit engine. However, Apple is considering scrapping this design. We can wait for Apple's official announcement to see how other engines work on iOS and what features can be enabled in other browsers.
Image credit: Bloomberg/Contributors/Getty Images
NFC unpacking could mean that alongside Apple Pay, other payment companies will be able to integrate their services for one-touch payments. Apple has already faced criticism from the EU, which announced in February that standard contactless payment technologies such as NFC should be open to all suppliers. This could allow Apple competitors such as Stripe and Square to develop their own integrated solutions for the iPhone.
Apple's reluctance
Apple executives constantly report how unpublished downloads harm user security. It even introduced a developer mode in iOS 16 to prevent users from "unknowingly installing potentially malicious software on their devices." Problems with undisclosed app downloads and App Store payments have also been at the center of Apple's long-running battle with Epic.
In both the Netherlands and South Korea, where Apple has had to open up its platform a bit, the company has made it harder for developers to accept third-party payment systems. It required app developers to show detailed warnings to users when they were about to use an alternative payment system, and in some cases Apple required them to provide a separate software file for a specific market.
Technically, according to local regulators, the company is creating a case to reconsider changing the payment systems for developers.
Image credit: Apple
Similarly, if Apple tries too hard to comply with EU regulations for iOS 17, it could make life difficult for both developers and consumers, meaning only tech-savvy users will want to download unreleased apps. In addition, the company may display banners and warnings about the use of third-party app stores, preventing possible changes in the use of Apple's app store.
The Coalition for App Fairness, which is fighting against major tech platforms like Apple and Google for fair distribution with members Basecamp, Matchgroup and Spotify, said Apple is "stifling competing apps" by allowing downloads of previously unreleased apps. .
"It is clear that in response to political pressure, Apple will give control over the distribution of applications and their impact on the App Store to iOS devices only. The passage of the European Union's Digital Markets Act forces Apple to act, and strict enforcement of the law is essential to leveling up the mobile app ecosystem for developers.
The company called on US lawmakers to take note and pass the Open Software Marketplaces Act (OAMA), which could force Apple and Google to allow third-party app stores, unpublished software downloads and alternative payment systems as soon as possible. This is possible. Epic's Tim Sweeney also threw his hat in the ring, urging Congress to step up and follow Europe's lead.
Apple had not responded to TechCrunch's questions at press time, but we'll update here if we hear back.
