https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/25/22996248/apple-sideloading-apps-store-third-party-eu-dma-requirement

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Filed under:

  * Apple
  * Google
  * Policy

Apple would be forced to allow sideloading and third-party app stores
under new EU law

New, 207 comments

As a result of the EU's Digital Markets Act

By Jon Porter and James Vincent Mar 25, 2022, 12:29pm EDT

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[acastro_21] Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple would be forced to allow users to install apps from outside the
App Store under legislation recently unveiled by the EU. This
stipulation was included in the initial proposal for the bloc's
sweeping Digital Markets Act, or DMA, which came one step closer to
being signed into law this week, and an EU spokesperson confirmed
that the provision is still included.

"We believe that the owner of a smartphone should have the freedom to
choose how to use it," said European Commission spokesperson Johannes
Bahrke in an emailed statement. "This freedom includes being able to
opt for alternative sources of apps on your smartphone. With the DMA,
a smartphone owner would still be able to enjoy safe and secure
services of the default app store on their smart phones. On top of
that, if a user so chooses, the DMA would allow a smartphone owner to
also opt for other safe app stores."

In addition to allowing third-party stores on its platform, Apple
would also be forced to allow users to install apps from third-party
sources (a practice known as sideloading) and to allow developers to
use the App Store without using Apple's payment systems.

The DMA has not yet been voted into law by the European Parliament
but is expected to be approved without much trouble. That could mean
the DMA coming into force as early as October this year. Members
states of the EU will then be able to choose how exactly to interpret
the EU act into national law.

`Tim Cook says sideloading would "destroy the security of the
iPhone"'

In the past, Apple has stringently objected to sideloading on the
iPhone, arguing that it would compromise the security of its
platform. "Allowing sideloading would degrade the security of the iOS
platform and expose users to serious security risks not only on
third-party app stores, but also on the App Store," a report put out
by Apple last year said. Tim Cook has argued that sideloading would
"destroy the security of the iPhone."

Although the Mac has long allowed users to download apps from outside
of Apple's official store, Apple has argued this approach isn't
appropriate on the iPhone because these devices carry more sensitive
information. Despite this, there are plenty of ways for sufficiently
determined users to get apps sideloaded onto an iPhone. AltStore
installs an entire third-party app store on an iPhone, and Apple's
own enterprise app program allows businesses to load on custom apps.
Developers often use TestFlight to distribute apps that haven't been
fully approved for the App Store, too.

The EU thinks Apple's security concerns can be mitigated by putting
choice in the hands of users, allowing them to select in their
device's settings and select where they're comfortable installing
apps from. Google already offers similar toggles on Android, which a
user must manually turn off in order to download apps from
third-party sources.

When reached for comment, Apple said it's concerned that "some
provisions of the DMA will create unnecessary privacy and security
vulnerabilities for our users while others will prohibit us from
charging for intellectual property in which we invest a great deal."

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