Digital Trends may earn a commission when you purchase through links on our site. Why trust us? succession. Over the weekend, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claimed in his Power On newsletter that iOS 17 will support app sideloading to comply with European regulations. This would allow iPhone users to download apps and games hosted on digital storefronts other than Apple’s official App Store — something Android phones have been able to do for years.
With the ability to sideload apps, customers don’t necessarily need to use Apple’s App Store to download and purchase apps or make in-app purchases. The change also means developers can bypass the 15% to 30% fee that Apple collects on all purchases.
This change will comply with the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) which will come into force on 1 November 2022. This doesn’t just affect Apple, as it requires all “gatekeeper” companies to “open up their services and platforms” to third-party companies and developers. This includes other big tech companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, and more.
DMA will have a significant impact on Apple’s platforms and services. While no one knows for sure, it’s not just affecting the App Store, but Messages, FaceTime, Siri, and many more Apple services. According to Gurman, it appears that Apple will implement sideloading support next year to comply with these regulations, so it would make sense as an iOS 17 feature.
Apple has been a formidable opponent against sideloading because the company claims such a feature would “undermine the iPhone’s well-known privacy and security protections,” making it more vulnerable to malware, Attacks against fraud, data tracking, etc. But if Apple doesn’t comply with the DMA, it could be fined up to 20% of its global revenue.
While Apple may allow sideloading in iOS 17, it may also implement its own security requirements instead. One of these could be verification, for which Apple could charge a fee instead of taking a cut of app sales and in-app purchases. That’s not entirely out of character, since Apple already has such a verification process on the Mac.
While these changes would be great in giving users more choice, we feel that most people will continue to use the App Store. I’m skeptical about possible security issues myself, and I love getting 3% cash back with my Apple Card. Still, if the change does happen as rumored, it could be one of the biggest changes to iOS in years.
Editor’s suggestion
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Your phone might be beeping loudly tomorrow— — Here’s why the iPhone 15: Release date and price predictions, leaks, rumors and more An iPhone just stopped one of the worst spyware attacks on the planet iPhone 15 is rumored to steal another feature from iPhone 14 Pro
Your phone might be beeping loudly tomorrow— — Here’s why the iPhone 15: Release date and price predictions, leaks, rumors and more An iPhone just stopped one of the worst spyware attacks on the planet iPhone 15 is rumored to steal another feature from iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro may make annoying iPhone feature worse
Christine Romero-Chan has been writing about technology, especially Apple, for over a decade. A graduate of Cal State University, Long Beach with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, she has been featured on iMore, MakeUseOf.me, AppAdvice, Lifehacker, MacLife, and more. While her specialty is all things Apple, especially the iPhone, she loves technology in general. Before the iPhone, she loved seeing the latest innovations in mobile, from the BlackBerry to the Palm Pre. Although she’s been using an iPhone for the past 14 years, she’s willing to venture into Android and other mobile platforms, which is why she came to Digital Trends.
Christine’s other interests include mechanical keyboards (great typing experience), mobile photography, lots of coffee, food, Star Wars, lots of animated series and games. She also lives in Southern California, so she takes advantage of that by being a Disneyland passerby. If she’s not writing, there’s a good chance you’ll find her with her husband and daughter at Disneyland.
You can find Kristen on Mastodon.
iOS 17 may add the iPhone feature I’ve been waiting for three years
With Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) scheduled for June 5th, rumors about Apple The factory is already in full swing. While the big announcement is sure to be Apple’s long-rumored Mixed Reality headset, we’re also looking forward to the next round of software updates: iOS/iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, and macOS 14.
Initially, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claimed that iOS 17 would be a “quiet” release, before rephrasing that it could bring several features that users have been asking for for years. Reports this week suggested that iOS 17 will include improvements to some features like search, dynamic islands, and the Control Center. Now, we hear it could even bring us interactive widgets.
read more
New iPhone 15 Pro renders show surprising design changes
The rumored iPhone 15 Pro design changes have generated quite a bit of buzz. Leaks suggest that Apple is ditching the reason you’d normally tap buttons on the side in favor of solid-state buttons that sit flush with the frame. But new rumors claim Apple will stick with physical tactile buttons after hitting some engineering and performance hurdles with the technology.
But it looks like some design changes are still in the works. MacRumors has shared an updated render of the iPhone 15 Pro that shows the single pill shape of the volume rocker. Recall that Apple has been shipping phones with obvious volume up and down buttons for years. On the other hand, most Android phones offer a single volume rocker. It’s a mixture of experience and repairability.
read more
One of the biggest iPhone 15 Pro features may not be there at all
It’s spring, and that usually means a steady stream of iPhone rumors — and that’s been especially the case in recent weeks. It seems that some news about the next-generation iPhone 15 has made headlines every day recently, and there have been many back and forth this year. One of the hottest rumors revolves around the iPhone 15 Pro’s buttons…or maybe no buttons.
If you haven’t heard, there’s been a lot of speculation that the iPhone 15 Pro will not only replace the mute switch with a button, but also ditch the physical button and use the haptic engine to turn it Replaced with solid buttons.
read more
Christine Romero-Chan has been writing about technology, especially Apple, for over a decade. A graduate of Cal State University, Long Beach with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, she has been featured on iMore, MakeUseOf.me, AppAdvice, Lifehacker, MacLife, and more. While her specialty is all things Apple, especially the iPhone, she loves technology in general. Before the iPhone, she loved seeing the latest innovations in mobile, from the BlackBerry to the Palm Pre. Although she’s been using an iPhone for the past 14 years, she’s willing to venture into Android and other mobile platforms, which is why she came to Digital Trends.
Christine’s other interests include mechanical keyboards (great typing experience), mobile photography, lots of coffee, food, Star Wars, lots of animated series and games. She also lives in Southern California, so she takes advantage of that by being a Disneyland passerby. If she’s not writing, there’s a good chance you’ll find her with her husband and daughter at Disneyland.
You can find Kristen on Mastodon.
iOS 17 may add the iPhone feature I’ve been waiting for three years
With Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) scheduled for June 5th, rumors about Apple The factory is already in full swing. While the big announcement is sure to be Apple’s long-rumored Mixed Reality headset, we’re also looking forward to the next round of software updates: iOS/iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, and macOS 14.
Initially, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claimed that iOS 17 would be a “quiet” release, before rephrasing that it could bring several features that users have been asking for for years. Reports this week suggested that iOS 17 will include improvements to some features like search, dynamic islands, and the Control Center. Now, we hear it could even bring us interactive widgets.
read more
New iPhone 15 Pro renders show surprising design changes
The rumored iPhone 15 Pro design changes have generated quite a bit of buzz. Leaks suggest that Apple is ditching the reason you’d normally tap buttons on the side in favor of solid-state buttons that sit flush with the frame. But new rumors claim Apple will stick with physical tactile buttons after hitting some engineering and performance hurdles with the technology.
But it looks like some design changes are still in the works. MacRumors has shared an updated render of the iPhone 15 Pro that shows the single pill shape of the volume rocker. Recall that Apple has been shipping phones with obvious volume up and down buttons for years. On the other hand, most Android phones offer a single volume rocker. It’s a mixture of experience and repairability.
read more
One of the biggest iPhone 15 Pro features may not be there at all
It’s spring, and that usually means a steady stream of iPhone rumors — and that’s been especially the case in recent weeks. It seems that some news about the next-generation iPhone 15 has made headlines every day recently, and there have been many back and forth this year. One of the hottest rumors revolves around the iPhone 15 Pro’s buttons…or maybe no buttons.
If you haven’t heard, there’s been a lot of speculation that the iPhone 15 Pro will not only replace the mute switch with a button, but also ditch the physical button and use the haptic engine to turn it Replaced with solid buttons.
read more
