Apple vs EU: The New Sideloading Guidelines Explained

It's so hot off the press that we delayed going live because we were still writing the stories before we could even add into the show notes

So this is the big news that we've all been waiting for. New app sideloding rules require pre-approval for iPhone apps

Apple gave developers in the European Union and the European Union the guidelines and access to the tools needed for side loading

installing applications that don't go through the app store. This is part of sweeping changes to iOS so far in the app store required by the European Union's Digital Markets Act

And Apple's announcement of these changes and just today on Thursday is loaded with warning

about how the sideloding brings risk for users. It's kind of weird. They're simultaneously passive-aggressively

sniping at the EU about how this is unsafe and unsecure and how it's going to enable

piracy and all these security things. Wow, they're simultaneously bragging about how secure it is because of all of their APIs

and all of the safeguards that they put in place. So they're trying to make both arguments, and it doesn't really work

But anyways, Apple fought tooth and nail against the iPhone sidelining provision in the EU's Digital Markets Act

but it lost and is required to implement the changes beginning in March

This will happen with the release of Iowa. This will happen with the release of iOS 17.4, which just released the first beta earlier today

Under the new rules, side-loading an iPhone application won't be as easy as directly installing an app onto a Mac

When the DMA passed in 2023, some companies expressed interest in letting iPhone users install

applications right from online advertisements. That's not going to be possible. Thank God, that sounds terrible

Apps must come from an alternative marketplace and quote marketplace apps may only be installed from the marketplace developer website said Apple If a developer wants to distribute an app outside the app store it doesn need to pass through app review

which is the notorious barrier to getting an app published. Developers have long complained about the seemingly arbitrary and inane reasons

for their apps or updates being rejected with wildly inconsistent enforcement of rules and slow communication

So, you know, if you want to distribute an app outside, the app store, you don't have to go through the app review process because that's exclusive to the app store

There is one hurdle remaining, though. Apps for side loading will need to be notarized. This is a

simpler process that is, quote, focused on platform integrity and protecting users. The software will be

checked for, quote, threats like malware or malicious code and risks of installing apps that

misrepresent their functionality. You know, these are basic security checks. If you're not aware

this is already how it works on the Mac. Shocking. They're going to make it just like the Mac

Even if developers aren't planning on selling an app on the Mac app store, they can have it notarized by Apple

You know, when Mac users open an app that it's been notarized, there aren't all the scary dialog boxes warning that, you know

the app may be unscrupulous and we don't know where it came from and it might ruin your entire life

Having it notarized is like a simple, check that you can do. Cutting app review out of the process, Apple will presumably be more lenient on the types

of iPhone apps that are allowed to be sideloded, video game emulators, clipboard managers

all the other stuff, while maintaining a modicum of platform safety. App notarization is an addition to a security feature that will prevent iOS apps from launching if they found to contain malware just in case something slips through the cracks So this is how side loading is going to work I seen a lot of positive reactions to this

Steve Trouton-Smith, Riley tested. A bunch of people on Eschaton praising that Apple has actually gone like above and beyond

what they've done. Huh. Like contrast this to last week with the alternative payments thing in the U.S

how Apple so graciously reduced their Apple tax from 30% to 27%

You know, on the other hand, in the EU, in the EU

they're actually trying to make it as pleasant an experience as possible. Well, you know, without throwing all the iPhone users to the wolves of the dangers of viruses

and security breaches and stuff. Didn't I also read that in the EU

they're lowering their app store fees to 17% and 10%? I thought I saw that

I may have read that as well. Okay. Which I was like, son of a gun

Look what competition does. Isn't that amazing? So they're going to have to open up to alternate app stores

And then for developers that choose to use Apple's app store, I think this is it

I'm going to have to look for this in real time. But I think they're lowering their 30%, 15% rates down to 17%

kind of an odd number, and 10%. So if you choose to use the Apple App Store going forward

you will pay a much smaller commission to do so. So it ain't competition great

Unfortunately, if you're in the U.S. and you've been listening to all this, none of this affects us, at least not yet

Not yet. I bet that the United States is going to copy this regulate you know these guidelines pretty much word for word Yeah I wouldn be surprised if they do I honestly be more surprised if they didn

Well, what do you think the holdup is? What do you mean

Well, they're doing this in the EU now. Why not just make this change available across the app stores in the U.S.

Apple is doing this to the nail. Apple doesn't want this to happen to be clear

You know, they always say that if you're, if you're, if you're, you're bartering, you know you get a good deal when the other person is kind of upset

And I feel like that's what the EU got from Apple. Apple does not want this at all

Like, this is the saltiest press release. This is the saltiest legalese that you will ever see Apple write in a press release

How they're all of the snipes that they're throwing and the shade they're throwing, you know, that that's not typically Apple's, Apple's PR writing style

They don't want this to happen. But I bet if this goes well, a lot of countries are going to copy this

this regulation as a guideline. Yeah, I think you're right. And I, for one, am happy to see alternate app stores available

Apple can do whatever they want with their own app store. I don't care. It belongs to them. That's always been in my position

But if you can't make it into their app store, there should be a way for people who own iPhones to load apps that Apple doesn't like

for whatever reason. And somebody from the chat, HT, more malware now

Yeah, you're right. That is what it means. But you do have a choice, right? You don't have to use an alternate app store

That is entirely your choice to do. And so if you want to continue going through the App Store, which I imagine most people will

then you're still safe. And now the developers in the Apple App Store, they're making more money

So that's a really great thing, isn't it, for developers? If those percentages are true, I want to caveat, because I can't remember where I read that

and we were reading this right up until the point that we went live