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Comment by immackay | Hacker News Reader

There is indeed alternative ways to get software on Apple mobile devices. Why is this such a common belief?

Edit: your point seems to be revolving around the access to physical disks for playstation/xbox, which is 1. Limited to devices that have a disk drive, 2. Limited to software that would similarly be sold on the sony/xbox stores, and 3. Still gives sony/microsoft a cut of the sale.

Edit 2: No, I'm not talking about webapps. You can sideload apps with a free developer account, similar to xbox.

Edit 3: Right, well I guess I'm being "purposely ignorant" and am actually talking about web apps. This was fun HN, lovely discussion.

Edit 4: It does indeed only require a free developer account, and you can strip and resign apps without needing to compile from source.

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It's a common belief because it's true. We're clearly talking about consumer-level access to install and run native software, not pedantic technical workarounds.

> Edit 2: No, I'm not talking about webapps. You can sideload apps with a free developer account, similar to xbox.

This is disingenuous. Not only do you need a paid developer account, you are limited by the number apps you can sideload, you need to compile them yourself and sign them with your key, and they must be resigned and installed every 7 days. You also need to do all of that from a Mac.

You don’t need a paid account but the limit in that scenario is 7 days.

Can my tech illiterate grammy do it all by herself using just her iphone? if no, then OP's point stands.

Can your tech illiterate grammy do it (read: sideloading unsigned programs) all by herself on an xbox or playstation?

She can go to the store and buy a physical disk, yes.

And what happens when she has an Xbox without a disk drive?

Your original comment was about side loading apps on iPhone ON a thread about iPhone apps. I don't see what consoles have to do with this. You are being ignorant of the fact that the vast majority of iPhone users CANNOT and WILL NOT side load apps using a developer account.

Jailbreaking doesn't count.

No jailbreaking necessary.

Edit: Can't reply further, but the way of doing this is much the same as installing unsigned apps on an xbox. Using a (free) developer account you can sideload things quite easy using something like https://github.com/ios-control/ios-deploy

Can you explain how, then?

Edit: So the only way to do it besides jailbreaking is for literally everyone who wants to do it to pay Apple an extra $100 on top of what they already paid for their iDevice. (Sharing will get your certificate revoked.)

https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/6/22421912/iphone-web-app-pw...

Anyone who pushes Web Apps as a viable option is being disingenuous about what it provides or purposely ignorant.

This is so not the point lol

The "alternative way" is to install web apps... which is tied to webkit... which is a neutered browser technology that's purposely hamstrung as to not interfere with the app store.

Using the web apps as a defense only shows that you won't admit to the massive problems with it - from bluetooth restrictions to lack of hardware level driver support.

That isn't a realistic option... it's a deflection from the subpar user experience Apple supports to enforce their mafia level protection racket.

https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/6/22421912/iphone-web-app-pw...

Anyone who pushes Web Apps as a viable option is being disingenuous about what it provides or purposely ignorant.

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