Apple @lemmy.world Nils @feddit.de 1y ago

iOS 17.2 hints at Apple moving towards letting users sideload apps from outside the App Store

9to5mac.com iOS 17.2 hints at sideloading apps from outside the App Store

Apple has been under pressure in the European Union as the Digital Markets Act antitrust legislation requires the company to...

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Of course it won't be available for us here in the US.
- Unfortunately we need to force companies to do the right thing. And we should.
- That's going to rely on the US people. If they make a big enough fuss, Apple will have to bring it to NA. But in all likelihood it will be gated by your regional payment provider.
  
  And we all know how much our people here care about stuff like this. lol
- If it’s not in the US, I fear developers won’t take it seriously and we probably won’t get many good sideloadable apps anyway
  
  I just want to sideload YouTube revanced and a couple of other apps. This is the only reason why I have an android.
  
  And worse, development for other sideloading apps may slow down.
I'm getting tired of all of Google's BS, so I've been looking into an iPhone.

But not being able to sideload apps is a big deterrent. Not having real Firefox is another one.

If Apple could open up iOS to be more flexible and user-configurable, they could probably draw a lot of Android users like myself that appreciate the great hardware and are tired of Google's business decisions.

But iOS is still dumbed down and locked down so badly.
- Apple being Apple, will charge some absurd fee to "sign" images to sideload on your iPhone. I wouldn't hold my breath. Get GrapheneOS on a Pixel in the meantime.
  
  You can already do that with zero fees. The only issue is you have to redeploy the app after a week. That’s how AltStore works.
  
  You can already side load 3 apps for free on the iPhone but they need to be re-signed every 7 days. There are apps like SideStore that manage re-signing apps for you at the cost of one app slot.
  
  @dingleberry so, your solution is to buy a Pixel, acknowledge that Google has no clue how to make a secure device, unlock your bootloader (unless you take the OTA) and proceed to cripple it even further by removing all of the proprietary features that make the pixel, a pixel. 🤦🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️🤣
- What has Google done that Apple hasn't?
- I'm about to receive my first iPhone, since the 4, on Monday, because of all the same reasons. I used to love Android platforms, because they allowed me to do whatever the fuck I wanted. Now I can't even unlock my bootloader, at all. Even if I could, each of the vendors came up with a solution to permanently softbrick your phone in some way.
  
  The only custom app I really want at the moment is modded Youtube, and having Altserver running isn't really an issue. That said, if I didn't need to do that at all, that would be fantastic
  
  You can try Yattee for YouTube. It’s in the AppStore, you just need to give it an invidious or piped instance to connect to.
- I second that suggestion, just install GrapheneOS. I switched from my iPhone to GOS over 6 months ago and haven't looked back. It syncs with nextcloud for everything and it's seamless!
- I recently switched to iPhone from pixel and am very happy. However, I understand the need to sideload apps, haven’t watched YouTube at all on the iPhone because of the annoying ads.
  
  I’m hoping that iOS allows installing apps from other sources soon, would also love to use the real FF.
  
  Try Vinegar!
  
  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/vinegar-tube-cleaner/id1591303229
  
  I mean, I’ve been using uYou on iOS since I got the iPhone two years ago. It’s a bit of a pain to set up initially, but assuming you have a PC or laptop that is switched on often enough and on the same WiFi network, running iTunes and AltStore, it will auto refresh in the background.
  
  It has sponsorblock and all that good stuff too. Normal YouTube is literally unwatchable.
Sweet lord my mouth is watering.
- Imagine iOS with the same liberties as macOS 🥲
  
  That's the fascinating part to me. Installing thirdparty apps on iOS? Criminal, security circumventing, stability affecting. Installing thirdparty apps on macOS? Click the confirm button if you're confident, I guess
Well, they make it much harder for right to repair, Just following from what Louis Rossmann points out.

Might as well hand out some crumbs here and there...

A small win is a small win, even if forced by EU. Similar to the USB-C port change.

At the same time, Apple will also appeal to the European Union about including the App Store in the Digital Markets Act, which is no surprise. Apple will likely try everything to preserve the iOS App Store. But ultimately, iOS 17 will be ready for sideloading.
Hello from Poland! Just waiting here to finally have opportunity to install emulators without Alt Store 7 day refresh and limit of 3 apps only! Very sad, if you, guys from USA, will not be allowed to use this feature.
- I can‘t wait for Delta Emulator. I had to deinstall it because of the three app limit and before Reddit made those stupid API changes I had uYouPlus and Delta. Now I have uYouPlus and Apollo.
  
  You can sideload Apollo? :o
Cool. Can we do the same with AppleTV please!?
- The whole App Store counts as one gatekeeper, so there won’t be a separation between an iOS, iPadOS, macOS and tvOS App Store. Therefore, you’ll get those changes for the Apple TV as well.
What app is everyone dying to get?
- I'd like a true Firefox(not webkit) and Emulators.
  
  Yes! We need all those extensions.
  
  Emulators are what I miss from android. GBA has one of the best libraries of any console, plus there’s the custom rom scene. And I have this absurdly powerful phone that can’t run any of it.
- The option will allow an entire community of open source apps to exist for example.
  
  F-Droid in iOS 😎
  
  Fucking finally
- definitely tachiyomi!
  
  check this for iOS https://github.com/Aidoku/Aidoku
- I think emulators are likely at the top. I can see Ryujinx absolutely being a top download. Big enough that Nintendo would absolutely arm up their legal team. Imagine every iPhone and iPad becoming a Switch!
  
  Then region-locked apps. There are tons of games and apps in general that change from region to region. Chinese games are never like their NA counterparts. This would effectively unlock every region to the user.
  
  Lastly, just random shit. It would be cool to install 3rd party apps. FOSS apps. Just anything that doesn't need to go through all the red tape of the App Store.
- For me revanced for example, also a non-WebKit browser.
  
  Especially if the EU passes article 45, I will have to install my own browser to remove the spying capabilities article 45 would impose.
- I won't use a smartphone that can't run Tachiyomi. There's no better manga app, in any platform, ever.
  
  there is another good alternative called aidoku for iOS and we can read manga on similar fashion. But, we need to sideload it
- uyouplus, Apollo, BHTwitter
- Just the option would be nice. If iOS was closer to being as customizable as android and I could get an iPhone halfway decent in the latest Gen for under $500, I might consider switching. The walled garden has always kept me out.
I'm sure that many apps that people think will be great will probably not be allowed. They'll still be scrutinized for any DMCA or other IP issues that Apple will not want to deal with.
I’d like stability
This is what happens when you let people who don’t know shit about tech, dictate policy. This is not going to end well for the EU, anymore than forcing companies to use inferior designs because they think it will decrease e waste. 🤦🏻‍♂️
- This isn't something I would use, even if I had an iPhone. But I sure as shit should have the option to run whatever software I please on my device, even if Apple doesn't approve and warns me not to.

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