• Apple is preparing to allow the sideloading of apps on its iPhone devices via iOS 17, according to a new report from Bloomberg.
• This is despite years of strict rules against the downloading and installation of any apps outside the App Store.
• The changes will be in line with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act which is set to be implemented in 2024.

The only (legal) way to download apps on iPhone devices is through Apple’s App Store. The Cupertino, California tech giant makes developers undergo an expensive and apparently arduous process to get apps on the store, including a review process and the submission of a contract to Apple if the app deals with payments.

In contrast, Android devices allow the installation of apps from most online sources simply by downloading an app APK in a process called sideloading, paid or not. This allows a lot more freedom for users, but does expose them to dangerous websites and malicious apps.

A new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman seems to indicate that Apple will soon be allowing the sideloading of apps in its latest system, iOS 17. This will allow users to download and install apps from sources other than the App Store.

According to Gurman, Apple is preparing to announce the sideloading of apps on iOS 17 at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) to be held virtually from 5th to 9th June 2023. Strict new laws from the EU are forcing Apple’s hand in the matter, as the company has been famously tight-fisted when it comes to its app distribution.

The laws in question form part of the Digital Markets Act which will come into fruition in 2024. The act is meant to stop larger tech firms like Apple from gatekeeping practices like only allowing apps from its in-house store, for example.

“Big platforms will have to refrain from promoting their own interests, share their data with other businesses, enable more app stores. Because with size comes responsibility — as a big platform, there are things you must do and things you cannot do,” explained European Commission EVP Margrethe Vestager in a statement seen by TechCrunch.

The law forces companies like Apple and Google to allow the installation of apps from third-party markets and for these companies to make the changing of default settings easier, at least in the EU market. It seems Apple would rather make the change a sweeping one, especially since it is expected that other regions adopt similar rules in the near future.

In an earlier report from Gurman hinting at the potential for sideloading apps on iPhones, he points out that Apple engineers have been investing significant time and effort into the process. The initiative to allow sideloading is apparently unpopular internally, with employees believing that it is simply a distraction from the development of future features.

Sideloading of apps and the opening of the market will be a welcome change for developers who may be able to shed some of the strict measures and expenses imposed by Apple. In 2021, Epic Games went to court against Apple over App Store commission payments.

When Epic stopped paying the commission, Apple retaliated by removing Fortnite, among the most popular games in the world, from the App Store. Eventually, Apple would win the suit, with Epic launching an appeal process following the outcome.

Apart from the sideloading announcement, Apple is also expected to showcase their new VR/AR headset at the WWDC, as well as new features for WatchOS, and iPadOS 17.

[Image – Photo by Bagus Hernawan on Unsplash]