iOS 17.4 is here and ready for a whole new Europe | Hacker News Reader

iOS 17.4 is here and ready for a whole new Europe

theverge.com

18 pointsagust5 comments

I have a question in the realm of unintended consequences.

The DJI app on Android requires sideloading. The lengths to which they go to obfuscate the app's code are extensive, as has been previously highlighted on this site. It is a very fair assumption that the reason that DJI went the sideloading route was because whatever they are up to would not pass Play Store review.

Are iOS users about to be subjected to a sideloaded DJI app with who knows what happening under the hood?

Apple is not allowing "sideloading" understood as downloading directly from the web, they require all apps to go through a store (either theirs or an alternative one). So this app would have to pass some review process, presumably.

Important note: companies can’t just build fake app stores for their own apps, but must allow other developers to publish apps on them. So unless someone builds a place for sketchy apps and they all pass the notarization process and don’t break any agreement, it’s highly unlikely

Given the requirements Apple has set, be it for alternative browser engines, app stores and payment service providers, and the reaction from stakeholders, this release seems very unlikely to lead to any meaningful change on iOS for now.

What remains to be seen is how long the EU will take to react and force Apple to actually comply with the DMA.

"While Apple previously revealed it was planning to drop support for progressive web apps (PWAs) in the EU to avoid building “an entirely new integration architecture” around DMA compliance, the company now says it will “continue to offer the existing Home Screen web apps capability” for EU users. However, these homescreen apps will still run using WebKit technology, with no option to be powered by third-party browser engines."

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