Apple CEO Tim Cook It recently stated that customers who want to sideload apps should consider buying an Android device. Speaking at The New York Times ‘Dealbook’ Summit, “I think people have that option today, Andrew. If you want to sideload, you can buy an Android phone,” he said. the Cook The app’s sideloading is compared to a car manufacturer selling a car without airbags or seatbelts. “From our point of view, it would be as if I were an automobile manufacturer saying [a customer] Do not wear airbags and seat belts in the car. In today’s time, he would never have thought of doing this. Doing so is just too risky. And so it won’t be an iPhone if it doesn’t maximize security and privacy,” the Apple CEO said.
This isn’t the first time Apple has openly criticized the idea of sideloading apps. The company has always been against this idea. Apple also published a white paper in October explaining why and how sideloading can be dangerous for users. However, this is the first time Cook has spoken about the idea.
What is sideloading of apps
Sideloading allows users to download and install apps directly to their smartphones from the open Internet. This means users can download and install apps from online marketplaces that are not approved by the device manufacturer. This means even if one is not available on the app apple app store Or users will be able to download them from Google Play Store. While Apple doesn’t allow users to download apps from third-party app stores, Google allows Android users to sideload apps. However, Google also warns users to avoid using apps from third-party app stores for security reasons. Security research firms have also warned Android users not to download apps from anywhere other than Google’s official app store, Google Play.
This is why Apple says it’s against sideloading
*Forcing sideloading on the iOS ecosystem will make the iPhone less secure and reliable for users. Apple currently protects users by checking apps and developers on the App Store, keeping illegitimate apps out, and quickly stopping the spread of harmful apps.
* App Review screens all apps and app updates submitted to the App Store to check for a variety of known malware, including infected SDKs used in supply chain attacks. Through the app review process, Apple aims to ensure that apps on the App Store are trustworthy and secure. Apple is continually improving this process, constantly updating and refining App Review’s tools and methodology.
* Forcing Apple to support sideloading on iOS will allow harmful and illegitimate apps to be more easily accessible to users; This would undermine features that give users control over legitimate apps they download; And it will weaken the iPhone on-device security.
* If sideloading was supported on iOS, malicious actors would be able to distribute copycat versions of popular apps that trick users. On the App Store, apps only come from known and verified developers, and their content is reviewed by a member of the app review team. This process works to stop, for example, a Trojan app that masquerades as a fake version of Clubhouse and steals user login credentials.
* Sideloading for user security and privacy will be a step backwards: Supporting sideloading on iOS devices will essentially turn them into “pocket PCs”, returning to the days of virus-ridden PCs.
* Developers themselves become more vulnerable to threats from malicious actors who provide developer tools that contain and propagate malware. Developers will also be more vulnerable to piracy and intellectual property theft, which will undermine their ability to pay for their efforts and innovation.
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