iOS 17 sideloading support is coming, and Apple can’t stop it

I've long speculated that iOS 17 will support sideloading in the European Union (EU) because of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) law, and now, it's finally official. No, Apple hasn't actually announced that the feature is imminent for iPhones and iPads in the region. Nor do I expect an announcement anytime soon. But Apple has six months to implement sideloading in iOS 17 and potentially older iOS versions or risk billions in fines.

The European Commission revealed a list of gatekeeper companies and gatekeeper apps/services. Apple's iMessage isn't a gatekeeper, so it doesn't have to support interoperability with, say, Google's RCS anytime soon. But iOS, the Safari browser, and the App Store are gatekeepers. As such, Apple has six months to make changes to these products according to the DMA rules.

In other words, iPhones and iPads in the EU will soon support third-party app stores, third-party payment systems, and sideloading. And it'll all start with iOS 17, which is set to come out next week.

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The post iOS 17 sideloading support is coming, and Apple can’t stop it appeared first on BGR.

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