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iOS 17 will reportedly set the stage for sideloading apps on iPhone

techcrunch.com

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Re: iOS 17 will reportedly set the stage for sideloading apps on iPhone

#441

Post by layer8 »

microflash wrote: post #361

I can't wait for my banking app to ask me to disable sideloading on iOS before I can actually use it. Such idiocy has been rampant on Android with banking apps refusing to launch when Developer Options are enabled. That aside, I am very happy with this development. I have personal apps that I'd like to sideload without paying for a developer account. I am also looking forward to a more lively open-source ecosystem ar…

I don’t think banking apps will have much reason to do so, given that sideloaded apps will still be sandboxed. This is not like a jailbreak. I would also assume that apps have no way to check what kind of other apps are installed.

Re: iOS 17 will reportedly set the stage for sideloading apps on iPhone

#442

Post by WheatMillington »

TexanFeller wrote: post #10

I'm dreading this. I want privacy hostile companies like Facebook to have to comply with the app store rules and respect system settings relating to privacy. As a user, I'm thrilled when Apple wields its big stick to stop big tech companies from overreaching. Before there was a bit of a compromise, I could use evil apps with some peace of mind that they wouldn't do something egregious. Now I suspect evil apps just wo…

You know it's optional, right? No one is forcing you to do anything.

Re: iOS 17 will reportedly set the stage for sideloading apps on iPhone

#443

Post by tristor »

trallnag wrote: post #440
tristor wrote: post #323

I have mixed feelings about this. I'm exactly the type of person who used to jailbreak my iPhone to run Cydia, and I used to build my own custom Android ROMs and spend hours on XDA-Developers before that. Now though, I appreciate how locked down iPhones are, and I keep it as locked down via Apple Configurator as possible, because the mobile web and mobile application space are fraught with peril. The vast majority of…

Do you wrap yourself with tinfoil at night to prevent your neighbors Android from scanning your thoughts?

> Do you wrap yourself with tinfoil at night to prevent your neighbors Android from scanning your thoughts?

Do you think this sort of question is in line with HN guidelines? Nothing I said is driven by paranoia, it's driven by the reality we find ourselves in. As mentioned in my comment I've developed custom Android ROMs, my wife actually is an Android user (yes I'm in a house divided), but myself and my wife are also much more technology savvy than my elderly parents. If you cannot understand how those situations differ in our current reality, there's not much I can do for you.

When it comes to non-technical users that don't have good opsec practices, Android is a ghetto that basically guarantees your mobile devices are running malware, and the Apple ecosystem is nearly the opposite. Arguably the App Store is fraught with danger, but it's many orders of magnitude better about the impact of apps on user security and privacy than the Google Play Store. You may feel strongly in your support of Android and its ecosystem for other reasons, but it's pretty indisputable that it is less secure and less privacy-respecting, especially in relation to third-party applications.

Re: iOS 17 will reportedly set the stage for sideloading apps on iPhone

#444

Post by joshstrange »

overthrow wrote: post #52
bena wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're missing something. Meta makes the Facebook app. Currently, the only way to get the Facebook app on iOS is through Apple's App Store. Which means Meta has to follow all of Apple's guidelines. Once sideloading is allowed, Meta can make a version of their app that does not follow Apple's guidelines. Now, they can maintain two apps, but last time I checked, the cost of maintaining one app was lower than th…

If Meta pulled from the official app store, their install rate would go to 0 overnight. And a third-party developer would quickly swoop in and take over the #1 search result for the word "Facebook" (plenty of such apps already exist), so oblivious users would still end up ahead. Sure they could offer a sideloadable app on their website somewhere, but nobody will find it or use it. If your grandma searches for faceboo…

I mean it didn't stop a lot of people from clicking through "scary warnings" to install Facebook's VPN app that hoovered up their data. I think you are vastly underestimating what people will go through for a minor benefit to themselves (in the case of the VPN it was low dollar amount gift cards).

FB won't remove their app from the app store but instead will add a new feature or offer a perk that is only in their side-loaded version and it will drive users in droves to install it.

Re: iOS 17 will reportedly set the stage for sideloading apps on iPhone

#445

Post by joshstrange »

akmarinov wrote: post #72
bena wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're missing something. Meta makes the Facebook app. Currently, the only way to get the Facebook app on iOS is through Apple's App Store. Which means Meta has to follow all of Apple's guidelines. Once sideloading is allowed, Meta can make a version of their app that does not follow Apple's guidelines. Now, they can maintain two apps, but last time I checked, the cost of maintaining one app was lower than th…

Apple will likely make the sideloading process so involved that it’ll be outside of the competency of the vast majority of the users. Facebook would just shoot themselves in the foot with having to support two apps for little value.

Something tells me the people who installed FB's shaddy VPN via sideloading weren't exactly what's I'd call "competent users".

FB complained about lost revenue from Apple locking down tracking so if $X is what they make per user via the official app store and $Y is what they make on the sideloading app store then there exists $Y-$X = $Z where $Z (or even $Z * some number) can be used for "customer acquisition" to convince people to switch with the goal of making more off them in the long run.

"Get $5 in FB Credit if you download this app", "Get access to this cool new filter if you install this app", etc. No, people here on HN won't be swayed by that but a good number of people will.

Re: iOS 17 will reportedly set the stage for sideloading apps on iPhone

#446

Post by ralphc »

I look forward to this, not for potentially sketchy third party apps but for my own apps. My phone is the computer, camera, etc. that I always carry with me and I'd like to be able to write my own apps, both for experimenting and for my utility. Just sideload them, no developer program, no yearly license fees, write in languages of my choice, have a VM on my phone if I want.

If nothing else, imagine your own AI assistant that you know respects your privacy because it only communicates with your home server, or fits completely on your phone.

Re: iOS 17 will reportedly set the stage for sideloading apps on iPhone

#447

Post by vorpalhex »

kube-system wrote: post #162
wackget wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you implying that allowing companies the choice to go sideload-only is a bad thing?

It is a good thing that mainstream users get their apps from somewhere that they've been reviewed by a third party. A world where sideloading from anywhere becomes a normal thing for mainstream users to do, is bad for privacy and security. eg.: https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2040/1924189728_668c4bc4e2.jpg

Users deserve freedom with their devices regardless whether you think they should have it.

The internet is valuable because it is open and free. Meanwhile the appstore complies with authoritarian regimes.

Re: iOS 17 will reportedly set the stage for sideloading apps on iPhone

#448

Post by pie_flavor »

TexanFeller wrote: post #10

I'm dreading this. I want privacy hostile companies like Facebook to have to comply with the app store rules and respect system settings relating to privacy. As a user, I'm thrilled when Apple wields its big stick to stop big tech companies from overreaching. Before there was a bit of a compromise, I could use evil apps with some peace of mind that they wouldn't do something egregious. Now I suspect evil apps just wo…

You can tell by how it hasn't happened on Android once in its fifteen-year lifespan.

Re: iOS 17 will reportedly set the stage for sideloading apps on iPhone

#449

Post by WastingMyTime89 »

roamerz wrote: post #391
jclardy wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm the opposite, as looking at android, where do we see this? All big players are still in the play store, because the average user of those services doesn't want to be bothered going to a website, clicking scary looking buttons to enable third party installs, then manually update their own installed apps. Basically the risk would be someone like TikTok dropping out of the store, but I find that unlikely. Maybe at t…

> I'm the opposite You already can side load apps. Just buy an Android device. I liken this to people who buy a house near an airport then lobby to get the airport closed because they do not like the noise. I bought into IOS because of the walled garden and without it some app that I would prefer to get through the sanctioned app store will now only be available by side loading.

> I liken this to people who buy a house near an airport then lobby to get the airport closed

Well, no, in this case it’s the government going to see the pseudo-monopolist and telling them: "Party is over. There is going to be some competition there from now on." Something I most definitely cheer for.

Re: iOS 17 will reportedly set the stage for sideloading apps on iPhone

#450

Post by m463 »

wmf wrote: post #102
jmull wrote: post #93

Having "side loading" -- also known as regular app installation on non-phone platforms -- hasn't caused chaos on desktop platforms or android. No reason to think it will on iOS either.

A company can get taken down by a .pdf.scr file on Windows.

On the other hand, you can install 3rd party firewalls, virus scanners and more on windows. That also means you can install programs to know what microsoft is doing with your comptuer, and protect yourself.

Currently there is no way on ios to know what an app is really doing, and what it is sending where.

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