When it comes to the debate between Android and iOS, the former beat the latter in terms of openness, third-party marketplace support, and sideloading of apps through unofficial sources. While Google provides an open platform to users as well as developers to install (and serve) apps from any digital marketplace or source, Apple has kept iOS confined to its official App Store. So, after publishing a report on why it discourages sideloading of apps earlier this year, Apple has now published a 28-page in-depth report, explaining the dangers of sideloading.
The Cupertino giant recently shared the detailed paper on the threat analysis of sideloading titled “Building a Trusted Ecosystem for Millions of Apps”. In the paper, Apple explained how sideloading might affect developers as well as end-users and how it might “cripple the privacy and security protections that have made iPhone so secure.”
The company cited the massive amount of malware attacks on Android smartphones over the past four years. Apple states that Android devices have had 15 to 47 times more malware infections than iPhone in the recent past, and over 6 million attacks per month were detected by large security firms on their clients’ Android devices. Following this, the company provided a comprehensive overview of some of the most common consumer mobile malware. You can check it out below.
Furthermore, the iPhone-maker explained what might happen to iOS users if iPhones were forced to support sideloading. So, as per Apple, more harmful apps would reach its users as it would be easier for cybercriminals to target them. And this, according to the company, could happen even if users were limited to third-party app stores only.
Moreover, the company claims that users will have less information about the apps they download, and as some sideloading initiatives require disabling the system security protocols to protect iPhones from malware, intrusions, and operations flaws, users’ privacy might fall under threat.
The company also explained how sideloading support on iPhones could affect users who do not want to use third-party marketplaces to download their apps. So, as per Apple, users might be forced to sideload an app that they need for school or work. Plus, cybercriminals might trick users to sideload a malicious app by mimicking the appearance of the App Store.
So, these are some of the explanations provided by Apple for not supporting sideloading or third-party marketplaces on iOS. You can check out the in-depth PDF report to know more about the company’s views on sideloading via the corresponding link.
