EU Provisionally Agrees on Law That Would Force Apple to Allow Alternative App Stores, Sideloading, and iMessage Interoperability

[Macropanda]

Default apps are fine but default apps that cannot be uninstalled aren’t.



Some thoughts on that..

Presenting a list of options worked before. It would be nicer to have more options granted.


Even better solution: You could just download an .ipa binary from official TLS-enabled websites of each browser vendor.

“But people are too tech-illiterate to figure that out.”

• Well, they have the default App Store option for simple baby mode,
• and if they are that tech-illiterate, they statistically wouldn’t care about the nuances of browser engines in the first place.

You can uninstall most of the default apps now. Its only the essential ones you can't.

"You could just download an .ipa binary from official TLS-enabled websites of each browser vendor."
What? 99.9% of people aren't going to have a clue what that means.

There is already an App Store where people can chose to download other apps if they want and even set them as defaults.
I think it needs tweaking so you can actually set a default music app instead of asking Siri and hoping it works but in general, what's wrong with that?

 

[DelayedGratificationGene]

So now developers are going to now have an extra expense by now having to pay an Apple Platform Hosting invoice. Politicians you are solving nothing and harming everyone. Please stop trying to do things and go away.

 

[I7guy]

What a terrible piece of legislation, in my own opinion.

Reuse private data collected during a service for the purposes of another service.

So if Ford gathers information from you when you buy a Mustang, Ford can't turn around use that information to sell you an F-150? Really?

Apple will either follow the laws by pulling out or neutering the iphone. IMO, the iphone experience is going to be subpar compared to other regions.

 

[javanate]

Future headline:“messaging standard flaw found, every platform on earth compromised”

Also: “Stalkers rejoice, now access to anything is access to everything”

 

[HQuest]

You are not in a minority. I paid for a few extra years to cancel The Times (London). It was impossible to get any response to e-mails and the phone number did not work.

Therefore is Apple’s fault for The Times not to provide a working mailbox/phone number service. Blame them for creating convenience.

 

[Wildkraut]

I’m glad the uk left the EU

Heh trapped in the middle of nowhere… ?

 

[Danfango]

I used to be against all of this, but ultimately changed my mind after countless examples of Apple’s censorship and frequent technical issues. Apple’s chokehold on NFC in iPhones is also a major disadvantage for their users.

Yes, it might lead to some malware - but it won’t be Apple’s responsibility anymore. If anything, they can use it as an extra advantage in their marketing - “Apple iCloud+ with extra safe App Store”.

I was against apple’s policy as well.

Until I worked with end users, particularly ones with Android. I’ve seen things no one should ever have to see.

Now I understand Apple has it right.

 

[coredev]

I used to be against all of this, but ultimately changed my mind after countless examples of Apple’s censorship and frequent technical issues. Apple’s chokehold on NFC in iPhones is also a major disadvantage for their users.

Yes, it might lead to some malware - but it won’t be Apple’s responsibility anymore. If anything, they can use it as an extra advantage in their marketing - “Apple iCloud+ with extra safe App Store”.

What makes you think that malware and other random stuff you install on your phone will make the technical issues any better?

 

[Wildkraut]

❤️ it!
Told ya multiple times in here ?, accept the reality, Steve Jobs is not here anymore to distort it.

 

[ikramerica]

Very dubious definition of markets and competition, reads more like a punitive regulation drafted by spiteful bureaucrats without understanding how tech & security work.

I wonder how much regulation would be too much for Apple to swallow before saying “thx, but we will no longer be doing business in EU”?

Revenge of Nokia, plain and simple. Can’t get over Apple leading the wave of products that swept stagnant Nokia into the dustbin of the consumer market.

 

[TJ82]

I'm imaging phones with jailbreak-like software. Ultimately if a lot of this goes into regulation it shouldn't change the experience for most of us who prefer the Apple experience. There may even be some cool benefits in terms of functionality we see.

The greatest worry we should all have is whether we'll see jacked up prices for iPhones as a result. The EU's historically be awful for implementing policy that's well intended but worsened the cost of living. Not that EU beaurocrats care - they're paid extremely well. Their benefits are crazy.

 

[Wildkraut]

Looks like I’ll be importing a Euro-model iPad next year.

👍 It used to be the other way around. 🤣

 

[coredev]

Some of it seems reasonable, other parts seem like they have been drafted by a guy in a suit without any technological background like how would the whole interchangeable messenger thing even work. Messaging apps are different for a reason. They simply have a different feature set and what about end to end encryption. Is WhatsApp supposed to pay for the hosting that is needed to store attachements sent by iMessage users? It’s technically not even their user. How would I even agree of the TnC of app B if I am actually using app A and only send a text to someone on app B. Is the EU going to provide an API? (I doubt it. Also wouldn’t want it) So many questions

It could be a sinister motive to prevent messenger apps from using proper end to end encryption. I would not rule that out.

 

[Onelifenofear]

Looks like I’ll be importing a Euro-model iPad next year.

Looks like you don't know how this works.

 

[Danfango]

I’m glad the uk left the EU

I think we have our own special turd sandwich lined up.

The EU have come up with some completely bananas legislation recently. Along the lines of “everyone has a right to privacy, apart from everyone who has a phone which we want to look into”.

I suspect this whole thing is going to line up with a “now your platform is open we want X implanted in iMessage”

 

[Onelifenofear]

"Users of small or big platforms would then be able to exchange messages, send files or make video calls across messaging apps, thus giving them more choice."

So this goes to show that no one at the EU legilastive committee have ANY idea how or even what End to End Encryption is.


EU: Make this work
All messenging Devs: You can't it's utterly insecure. How can we protect customer information if it goes outside our servers. That's what e2e Keys are. We cant share them across apps.
EU: I don't care. I am not a geek. Make it work. Stamps feet.

 

[BJMRamage]

I posted the likes of this when the US lawmakers wanted a similar action on devices...

It really does seem ridiculous but perhaps on the launch of certain apps (which could still be pre-installed for quicker usage) you would have a launch screen pop-up selector. I could see "in theory" all the Apple Apps already pre-installed will still be therein the background and taking up space (which lawmakers will then fuss about) but if someone accidentally uninstalls their browser app and clicks on a link in an email, without any data connection, they'd be able to still use Safari (sort of like an Apple Clip or whatever those mini apps are called).

quick mock-up below

View attachment 1794149

 

[michaelsviews]

Paved with good intentions.

How do you figure?

 

[Wildkraut]

Knowing Apple, they’ll be region locked. Look at the Apple Watch’s ecg stuff.

And a new lawsuit would appear, but no worry, the bipartisan bill is on the way in the U.S., too.

Apple will have to open up, there is no way around it, that’s the new old world where you can freely install whatever from wherever you want.

 

[Supermacguy]

They want Apple (& Google?) to fundamentally alter how their OS and other core software works completely within 6 months??!! The EU is high on crack! As a dev I know it's hard enough to get big features integrated in several months. They clearly have no idea the level of complexity their asking for - which shows how little they know about tech in general.

 

[Isengardtom]

I’m glad the uk left the EU

Enjoy your roaming charges when you go to Magaluf this summer

 

[TJ82]

I posted the likes of this when the US lawmakers wanted a similar action on devices...

It really does seem ridiculous but perhaps on the launch of certain apps (which could still be pre-installed for quicker usage) you would have a launch screen pop-up selector. I could see "in theory" all the Apple Apps already pre-installed will still be therein the background and taking up space (which lawmakers will then fuss about) but if someone accidentally uninstalls their browser app and clicks on a link in an email, without any data connection, they'd be able to still use Safari (sort of like an Apple Clip or whatever those mini apps are called).

quick mock-up below

View attachment 1794149View attachment 1980490

More bloody annoying popups. Just what the world needs. How much time is spent negotiating website privacy popups now because of the EU...

 

[AndiG]

❤️

It is Apples fault. Too much greed in the eyes of Tim. Fighting competition with unfair methods playing platform owner, gatekeeper and competitor at the same time. Limiting functionality for competitors, MFI just to name a few.

I don't know if I would install a 3rd party AppStore. BUT - if the 3rd party AppStore finally offers an App that lets me connect the heart rate monitor of my Watch with my bicycle computer. BAM - installed (and this is just ONE example).

Apple fought competitors like Spotify, Netflix, Prime for such a long time. You have to pay Apple Tax if you'd buy an ebook using Amazon Prime. Without Apple Tax there is only Apple Books. BUT you cannot read Apple Books on any other platform.


History repeats, like Steve Jobs already told Apple:

What ruined Apple was not growth … They got very greedy … Instead of following the original trajectory of the original vision, which was to make the thing an appliance and get this out there to as many people as possible … they went for profits. They made outlandish profits for about four years. What this cost them was their future. What they should have been doing is making rational profits and going for market share.”

 

[Danfango]

They want Apple (& Google?) to fundamentally alter how their OS and other core software works completely within 6 months??!! The EU is high on crack! As a dev I know it's hard enough to get big features integrated in several months. They clearly have no idea the level of complexity their asking for - which shows how little they know about tech in general.

I can only conclude that the EU give unachievable deadlines so they can profit from the fines.

I can’t see anything reasonable about a 6 month window for this from an engineering perspective.

 

[Wildkraut]

EU is that kid in class no one likes.

That founds a business later, and get CVs begging for a job from the ones that don’t liked him? Yeah could be…