In a podcast with MacRumors, Gurman predicts that Apple intends to keep the subject of sideloading on the down-low. In addition to it potentially being restricted to Europe, it will also likely not be mentioned during WWDC 2023. Which is as understandable as it is unfortunate, but should it pan out as Gurman expects, then there goes the dream of sideloading without jailbreaking for whoever who was expecting to be able to do so. [Image: Apple.]MacRumors notes, should the situation unfold this way, that it wouldn’t be the first time that the fruit company made market-specific changes, and quietly at that. The news outlet notes a previous episode back in January of 2022 where Apple added the ability to allow third-party payment systems in dating apps in the Netherlands. This is naturally following regulatory changes in the country. The change was announced via a message posted on its developer site, which also mentions the company’s disagreement to the ruling. Naturally, the post also mentions the inconvenience that app developers affected will have to face, as well as the risks associated with adding third-party payments.
Should this turn out to be true, it should still not be a real surprise, disappointing as it may be. After all, Apple has had a history of banging on about the security risks of sideloading. It’s only natural that the company wants to limit the amount of “damage” as much as possible. (Source: MacRumors [1], [2])
