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Apple is being forced to change its policies, thanks to the recent European Union laws. The company is already making changes to support USB-C charging for iPhones, and now it is going to allow third-party app stores to run on iPhones. That’s right, iPhones will soon let you sideload apps, from other rival app stores.
The ruling is applicable on both iPhone and iPad but it seems Apple will limit this compatibility to the European market. According to sources quoted by Bloomberg, Apple will be complying with the new law by late next year.
This change is going to be big for the industry, paving the way for the likes of Microsoft and Amazon to jump the queue and let iOS and iPadOS users bypass the App Store and use their apps instead. However, changes like these come with a big question over the security aspect of iPhones.
After all, one of the reasons why Apple has decided against supporting app sideloads is not having control over the safety of these apps and also their devices. Interestingly, the EU law doesn’t warrant Apple to allow a third-party billing system, which could erode its revenues, as it will lose the power to charge developers a 30 per cent commission on App Store purchases.
The new EU law comes into effect in mid-2024 and not complying with the rules puts them liable to pay fines of up to 10 per cent of their annual global revenue, which could be a big figure for a company like Apple.
Apple has built its image with privacy at the top of consumers’ mind recall. Sideloading will completely take that away from the company and open up the platform to further attacks since the bad actors are now aware of the loosening of Apple’s control over iOS and iPadOS ecosystems. It will be interesting to see if such laws will be adopted in other markets as well, which will force Apple’s hand to structure one policy for all the countries.
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