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New EU Law Could Force Apple to Allow Other App Stores, Sideloading, and iMessage Interoperability

AppleTO said:
Thing is, as soon as that toggle exists, it can be exploited. That affect all users, including ones who have no intention of enabling it.
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It wouldn't be a toggle.

It would be part of the terms/conditions you agree to when setting up a new phone or downloading a new OS update. Or more likely a one-time required acknowledgement next time your phone is opened.

With the language essentially saying, if you choose to sideload, you're on your own if your phone is compromised or you suffer from being hacked or damaged in some manner (privacy.security, losing money, etc). Along with an "I agree" button.

Apple will figure out the best way to handle it.
 
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lovehateapple said:
If this law actually comes to fruition, apple should just pull out of the EU entirely, imo. It would create a large black market for apple products across the entire continent. lol
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They actually wouldn’t have to pull out of the EU. Things like the App Store can be geofenced quite easily. The same way they limit certain functions in China, they could just restrict the App Store in the EU. If there’s no App Store, then the only App Stores available in the EU would be Android App Stores. EU developers would still be able to sell their app outside the EU, so they could still make money (except for those that have hyper local business models). And, there’s always we web app vector for releasing applications.

The upside? No more crap mobile games from the Apple App Store with their endless ads in the EU.
 
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This sucks.

I can tell you from personal experience, a specific hardware company tried to launch a ****** app which Apple kept rejecting as it was too crap.

And even the final version that got approved by Apple was complete *********.

Without Apple ensuring quality control, developers won't be forced to publish high quality apps anymore.
 
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IsaacM said:
Just put “side loading” behind a switch in the settings.

Don’t want to use it? Don’t enable it in the settings. Problem solved.
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clueless person who doesn't understand that just having that as an option is a bad idea
the majority of people bought into apples walled garden on purpose
 
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Christoffee said:
How on earth could a software company, like Apple, be compelled to make a reliable and robust API. That is a terrible idea.
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Google makes those APIs available to users regardless, if they list their content on the Google Play Store or not. Let's be honest most developers want their software on the App store, this is just giving developers the option to sideload if Apple want to be obtuse and unreasonable with their approval process.
 
Imagine a car manufacturer dictating its customers what they can and can't do with their car. Would any customer accept that? Would people say that you could just buy a car from another brand?

Even the idea that you have to open an account with Apple in order to do pretty much anything with your iPhone is already pretty ridiculous. That feels like a kind of stalking by Apple. Sadly Windows turns into the same direction. It gets more and more complicated to install Windows without opening a Microsoft account.
 
Allow side-loading via an unlock slider in Settings; do not mandate Apple to host apps in its native app store. Simple.

If the user wants 5 app stores or wants to side-load apps, caveat emptor.

The user should have agency to use the device as he wishes, even if that means unintentionally loading malicious software and/or bricking the device. Apple reserves the discretion to honor the warranty on devices bricked by such use (and would be best served by providing a tool to flash stock firmware to said devices).

Expect lots of additional spyware, software piracy, and more-frequent software updates. Also expect a lot of innovative new apps which enhance the stock iOS experience.
 
mdriftmeyer said:
In the end, Apple will strike a deal with US Govt, and EU will work out exceptions for iMessage, including side loading, and their won’t be more AppStores, just new ways to reference them by developers.
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Their is no need for new app stores. Just the option to install apps from anywhere. Like the .apk files on Android. They would not be dangerous, because they could still only do what iOS allows them. If they can hijack iOS, then there is a problem with iOS that Apple needs to fix.
 
citysnaps said:
As long as the someone who sideloads first agrees that any harm suffered by the user or to the phone, is the responsibility of the user. With no Apple responsibility or liability.

In other words, sideloading is at your own risk.
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That is already the case, but Apple has to prove that caused the damage. Apple cannot just say that we are not replacing a defective battery or screen since you decided to sideload an app that had nothing to do with the defect.
 
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spazzcat said:
That's all fine until Devs pull their apps from the App Store and demand you buy them directly.
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Yeah, because this happens on android. Adobe has it's own appstore and it's the only place you can download Adobe's android apps.🙄 Same with MS. Right? Hail, there are over a dozen Adobe apps on the PlayStore. There are 2x as many MS apps on the PlayStore.

Both of them are big name developers. Neither have pulled their apps off the PlayStore. Neither of them have created an appstore on android.
 
BaldiMac said:
Except the already have that option on android and it isn't used significantly. I'd think for a smaller developer, the infrastructure costs to enable this would easily outweigh any savings from the 15% they currently pay. Also, they would now have to worry about piracy.

As far as "marginally cheaper" pricing, App Store prices are already extremely low. There's no room to lower prices significantly.


Exactly.


I'm absolutely NOT asking you to be concerned for the trillion dollar company. I'm asking why you care about something that will primarily benefit billion dollar companies with little potential consumer benefit and significant potential consumer negatives.
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they also now have to handle all local taxes and anything else apple did in the background for them
 
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erikkfi said:
Nor does Apple only charge what the services cost to run.
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you know Apple has to pay other people for services too or are you oblivious of the fact apple handles all local taxes and merchant fees among other things
 
One thing that is a major problem on iOS is that you can't install an older version of an app, if it is no longer available at the App Store. Instagram for example gets worse and worse with every update. With Android I can try the latest version and if I do not like it, I delete it and install an old version. With that old version I do not have "suggested posts" in my Instagram feed for example, while iOS users can only install the latest version with all those annoying "features".
 
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This isn't really a question, it will require Apple to allow and enable sideloading of apps and app stores.

Article 6, Section 4
The gatekeeper shall allow and technically enable the installation and effective use of third-party software applications or software application stores using, or interoperating with, its operating system and allow those software applications or software application stores to be accessed by means other than the relevant core platform services of that gatekeeper. The gatekeeper shall, where applicable, not prevent the downloaded third-party software applications or software application stores from prompting end users to decide whether they want to set that downloaded software application or software application store as their default. The gatekeeper shall technically enable end users who decide to set that downloaded software application or software application store as their default to carry out that change easily.
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Skyscraperfan said:
One thing that is a major problem on iOS is that you can't install an older version of an app, if it is no longer available at the App Store. Instagram for example gets worse and worse with every update. With Android I can try the latest version and if I do not like it, I delete it and install an old version. With that old version I do not have "suggested posts" in my Instagram feed for example, while iOS users can only install the latest version with all those annoying "features".
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any app including Instagram could just block you from using the not 'Current' version
 
TheOldChevy said:
What does iMessage interoperability mean ? iMessage supports SMS, should it support some standard image format ? Or should all others support iMessage formats ? What about end-to-end encryption ?
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It means that Apple will have to allow other platforms a way to send messages to and receive messages from iMessage users.

The same will likely be true of the other big chat platforms as well.

Basically, someone could make a near-universal chat client that supports almost all of the chat platforms if they wanted to
 
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I have always been happy with the Apple ecosystem, and likely would not choose alternatives should those choices become available, but that said, I don't disagree with the intent of this concept. I just don't think the decision-makers understand the full implications of what they are putting into law. They claim that this will benefit consumers, but they don't acknowledge that it will put many consumers at greater risk — because large segments of the population just don't have the technical know-how to make such decisions for themselves. This is how the Apple approach has protected the broad expanse of their user base. Protection is built in.
 
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