It can also check whether an app is compatible with a specific device or iOS version, which the App Store already does. The API has basic controls for downloading, installing, and even updating apps from external sources. In other words, this would allow developers to create their own app stores. Digging even further, we found a new, unused entitlement that will give third-party apps permission to install other apps. IOS 17.2 has a new public framework called “Managed App Distribution.” While our first thought was that this API would be related to MDM solutions for installing enterprise apps (which is already possible on iOS), it seems that Apple has been working on something more significant than that.īy analyzing the new API, we’ve learned that it has an extension endpoint declared in the system, which means that other apps can create extensions of this type. iOS 17.2 seems ready to allow alternative app stores With the iOS 17.2 beta, internal code suggests this is true. Previous reports revealed that Apple had been doing under-the-hood work on iOS 17 to prepare the system for sideloading in Europe. One of the requirements of the DMA is that users can install any apps they want from third-party sources. However, the European Union last year passed the Digital Markets Act, or DMA, a new piece of antitrust legislation aimed at big tech companies so that they don’t use their advantages to undermine competition. Apple has never allowed sideloading on iOS, as this would allow apps to bypass the App Store guidelines. When it comes to iOS, the official source (and the only one available to iPhone and iPad users) is the App Store. What is sideloadingįor those unfamiliar, the sideloading process consists of installing apps obtained from third-party sources instead of an official source. As we suggested in our report, it could still be used for other purposes. Update: Apple has published new documentation for the ManagedAppDistribution API on its website confirming that it is primarily intended as an MDM solution. 9to5Mac has now found evidence in the iOS 17.2 beta code that the company is indeed moving towards enabling sideloading on iOS devices. Apple has been under pressure in the European Union as the Digital Markets Act antitrust legislation requires the company to allow users to sideload apps outside the App Store to increase competition.
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