Apple May Soon Allow iPhone Users To Sideload Apps (Image: Unsplash)

Apple is reportedly gearing up to permit app sideloading on iOS. With this, iPhone owners will finally be able to download apps outside of its App Store. Bloomberg”s Mark Gurman reported that Apple could unveil a “highly controlled system” that would permit the installation of applications hosted outside of Apple’s App Store. This change, which is expected to happen in the first half of 2024, is mainly for iPhone users in the European Union (EU).

Apple is considering to make this important move to comply with the European Union’s recently passed Digital Markets Act (DMA). Side-loading of applications from third-party stores outside the Apple Store was one of the key provisions of this act. The European Union”s (EU) main aim behind this act, which came into force on November 1, 2022, and became applicable on May 2, 2023, was to ensure fair and open digital markets. According to the EU, this act is one of the first regulatory tools to comprehensively regulate the gatekeeper power of the largest digital companies.

Sideloading means the ability to install third-party applications from outside the built-in app store. Apple earlier stated that sideloading through direct downloads and third-party app stores would damage the privacy and security protections that have made the iPhone secure. Apple also added that it will expose iPhone users to serious security risks. Apple has maintained strict control over the apps and App Store for a very long time. However, the tech giant is now making efforts for a major strategic shift to meet guidelines set by the EU. Earlier, Apple replaced the Lightning charger with USB-C chargers. Apple made this radical shift as the result of a new European Union law requiring universal USB-C phone chargers by 2024.