Following months of beta testing, Apple this week released iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 to the general public. Unlike in years past, these updates were not overshadowed by significant visual interface changes like iOS 16’s Lock Screen facelift or iOS 14’s makeover of the Home Screen with widgets.
Instead, Apple opted for quieter, more quality-of-life-focused updates that saw refinements across the iPhone and iPad experience. From quirky system volume animations to meaningful new settings and options within system apps like Messages and Music.
While Apple was hard at work chugging out iOS 17 over the summer, a large cloud loomed over the updates thanks to the European Union (EU). In July, the EU designated Apple as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act. In broad terms, the DMA seeks to address concerns regarding the power and influence of dominant digital platforms.
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At its core, the DMA wants to solidify a set of rules that govern the behavior of large tech platforms by forcing them to be more “pro-user” by giving users more choices and freedoms, regardless of the costs. One hallmark of the DMA is to give users more control over where they can browse and install apps by allowing them to choose alternative app stores or the web, in a practice known as sideloading.
On iOS, sideloading would be a significant departure from how the iPhone has worked since the launch of the App Store back in 2008. Apple has maintained a firm grip on the iOS sandbox by only allowing users to download apps from the App Store that meet and pass its rules. By only allowing apps to be downloaded from the App Store, Apple claims it can guarantee a safer user experience, minimizing the risk of malware and other malicious software.
Despite the passage of DMA taking place before WWDC in June, Apple unsurprisingly made no mention of sideloading or the new law during its annual developer-focused event. Following the conference, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Craig FederighiCraig Federighi is Apple's SVP of Software Engineering, said during an interview that Apple wants to “make sure that whatever we do is the right thing for our customers” and that the company is “working with the EU” on how to comply with the framework.
In August, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reported that Apple plans to comply with the DMA and roll out an update to iOS 17 in the Spring of 2024 that enables sideloading. The big caveat: the “feature” to sideload apps will only be available for users with their regions set to Europe.
Apple is looking to tighten the ropes around sideloading as much as possible once the update rolls out early next year. One measure being taken is to geographically restrict sideloading to the fullest extent possible to prevent non-EU users from taking advantage of the added option, according to Gurman.
Code uncovered by 9to5Mac in iOS 16 reveals a new system that restricts features on iOS based on a user’s location. The new system uses GPS signals, country codes from Wi-Fi routers, and data from the phone’s SIM to locate a user’s region. The publication states the new system is designed to “set restrictions determined by government regulators.”
The Current State of iOS 17 Sideloading
So, the current state of iOS 17 and sideloading is a waiting game. Questions remain about how exactly Apple will implement this and how widespread it will be used. Most users will still likely use the App Store, and Apple is unlikely to make the user experience for installing alternative app stores or “sideloaded” apps a pleasant experience.
Following iOS 17’s debut this week, Apple is expected to kick off beta testing for iOS 17.1 sometime in the next several weeks. There are still several features Apple announced during WWDC that it promised would be coming later this year, including features in Apple Music, Notes, and the all-new Journal app.
Coinciding with the launch of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro on Friday, September 22, Apple on Thursday released minor updates to iOS 17 and watchOS 10 that addressed security vulnerabilities that have been “actively exploited.”
