Sideloading
allows the installation of applications from sources other than the official
app store. Android users have been enjoying sideloading for many years. Soon this
feature will be available on iOS and iPadOS too, and users will be able to
choose where they source their apps. However, it is not entirely a voluntary
option by Apple.
Sideloading
can be particularly useful when certain applications are no longer available in
the official stores and alternative application stores may be utilized instead.
Further, sideloading allows applications to be sent via mail or downloaded
directly onto the device without need of any application store whatsoever.
The
benefits of sideloading are evident and highly appealing not just for private
users, but also for companies and, especially, developers. Sideloaded test
applications that may not conform to Google's rigorous guidelines can be tested.
Furthermore, sideloaded apps bypass the protracted review processes of Google. Additionally,
sideloading apps may prove more cost-effective by evading official store fees.
In the
future, sideloading will no longer be restricted to Android devices but will
also be accessible on iOS and iPadOS devices. Apple plans to implement this
feature in an update to iOS 17. Historically, Apple has imposed strict
limitations on iOS and iPadOS applications, with only App Store installations
permitted on iPhones and iPads. Apple's stringent approach has consistently
emphasized potential risks to user security as the main reason for such
limitations. That’s why the upcoming lift of these limitations are not voluntarily
implemented by Apple, but rather a mandatory response to the Digital Markets
Act (DMA) of the European Union from 1 November 2022. The DMA complements
competition law and curtails the market freedoms of major platforms in the EU.
Since the DMA's impacts are confined to the
European market, it is probable that Apple will exclusively permit sideloading
under iOS and iPad in the European market. To achieve this goal, there will be
an operating system version tailored to the impacted market. The specifics of
sideloading on an iPhone or iPad, as well as how Apple will identify a device
within the European market, will only become apparent once the update is
released. This is anticipated to occur by the end of 2023.
24.11.2023