A concrete example: Google just released their new $99 Pixel earbuds. They use Google's assistant rather than Siri. Let's say you prefer to use Google's assistant and want to use the Pixel Buds on your iPhone. Right now you can't do that because Apple won't let you use the Google assistant automatically with the Pixel Buds. If Apple allowed side loading, you could load Google's assistant app and it would connect your Pixel Buds to Google's assistant. Now explain how side loading an official Google app reduces your security or choices as a consumer?
The only absolute for security is not to connect to a public IP network. Beyond that you or anyone else saying that certainly nothing can happen is 100% supposing. Apple has decided to take the tightened walled approach to limit as much as possible the potential for a security issue.
But There is no explanation needed for your hypothetical. It isn’t the choice I’ve made that needs to explain/change anything to accommodate you. Apple’s way is not a secret. Apple’s way is well known. A large minority percent of the market chooses that well known way. A majority percent choose differently opting for the Android way. That is choice. Trying to force one choice to be like the other choice isn’t.
Imho this is an astonishing discussion. The crux of the argument appears to be XX Well if I may want an iPhone I also will want something from outside Apple’s ecosystem that Android allows. Then Apple must be forced to do it. XX Maybe astonishing isn’t the right description. A peculiar sense of entitlement seems to me a more appropriate description.
The problem I see with a setting to allow side-loading means there's a software ability to easily hack iOS. It's not a backdoor, it would be a front door without much of any lock on it. If the ability to side-load an app is included in iOS, it will be used to bypass iOS security and it will succeed. Most consumers don't know how to make any changes to their iOS devices or their PCs. They just want them to work out of the box. I'd guess almost 100% of the people reading AI know, or can figure out, how to make changes to their devices and what those changes do. We're not Apple's primary customers. People do things all the time they aren't supposed to do. That's what almost everything we buy has a safety label on it. Do people read and understand what the consequences of misuse are? I would hope most do. Apple has tried to protect consumers from scams and outright theft of personal information and that comes with forced limitations on usage. Can any of you envision what would happen if Apple is forced to allow a wide open iOS environment? I can, it's called early Android where nobody could really trust anything happening on their phones.
Once iOS is open to any app, I would quit using it for any banking, medical, purchasing or anything dealing with my personal information. We all know every government has a group working on hacking iOS (and every other operating system) and forcing Apple to provide a key into the front door makes it very simple to force an app onto every iOS device making leaving it open for government monitoring. I'm sure none of us want this but this is what would happen and Apple would have a difficult time stopping it. Asian users (@Gatorguy) already have to fight their governments spying on them. Allowing side-loading makes it even easier.
Prove me wrong. If Apple is forced to allow side-loading, how will they be able to guarantee every app is safe to use? (They can't do this now.) How will they guarantee privacy on their devices? Who do I sue when I get a message or email or click on a website and malware that never worked before downloads code that unlocks my phone so they can continue to download more malware? It isn't Apple.
Apple could lock down apis to the software and hardware… you want access to certain OS functions or hardware, you gotta go through the App Store… otherwise you’ll just have to deal with a neutered app.
Not advocating for sideloading at all, but I feel like this would be a way for Apple to give other app stores the middle finger…
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Maybe astonishing isn’t the right description. A peculiar sense of entitlement seems to me a more appropriate description.
Not advocating for sideloading at all, but I feel like this would be a way for Apple to give other app stores the middle finger…