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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