Back in April, CEO of Apple Tim Cook said that sideloading is a terrible idea, citing that it will break the iPhone’s security and privacy measures. However, the European Union disagrees.
On 2nd July, executive VP and antitrust chief of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager warned Apple to stop using its “privacy and security” concerns as an excuse to prevent users to sideload apps downloaded outside Apple’s App Store.
During in an interview from Reuters, she stated that privacy and security, while important, users should not sacrifice their decision to sideload apps obtained outside the app store.
“I think privacy and security is of paramount importance to everyone,” Vestager told Reuters in an interview.
“The important thing here is, of course, that it’s not a shield against competition, because I think customers will not give up neither security nor privacy if they use another app store or if they sideload,” she said.
Last year, Vestager also proposed the Digital Markets Act, that, when put into law, Apple and other big tech firms would have to comply, forcing Apple to let EU residents to sideload apps. This law would also apply to “gatekeepers” such as Google and Amazon.
Previously, Epic Games also had a legal feud with Apple, and in response, Apple removed “popular” children’s battle royale game Fortnite from their app store over anti-trust practices.
Source: NoypiGeeks via Reuters