We were talking about the whitepaper. Here Apple’s analysis is much more in-depth, and full of examples: “Allowing sideloading – write from the Tim Cook company – would damage the security of the iOS platform and expose users to serious security risks not only on the app stores third parties, but also on our App Store. Due to the large size of the iPhone user base and the sensitive data stored on their phones – photos, location data, health and financial information – allowing sideloading would spur a wave of new investment in platform attacks.
The company said sideloading and downloads from third-party app stores would eliminate years of privacy features built into Apple’s mobile operating system and make it more like Google’s Android system.
Also according to Apple, sideloading “will dampen the growth of the app economy, harming both users and developers” as privacy-concerned consumers are likely to download fewer apps. Furthermore, “allowing sideloading would spur a wave of new investment in iPhone attacks, incentivizing malicious actors to develop tools and skills to attack iPhone security on an unprecedented scale.”
In addition to the whitepaper, Apple’s head of user privacy, Eric Neuenschwander, made very interesting statements to those at Fast Company. Sideloading eliminates choice. Users who want direct access to applications without any kind of revision now have sideloading on other platforms (like Android, ed). The iOS platform is where users know they are safe. If sideloading is also forced on iOS, this free choice is lost and there will be more risks for everyone. Rare cases of malware have also been spotted on iOS, without too many risks for users, but opening to third-party stores would make these risks much higher ».
Neuenschwander explained that Apple today carries out two security checks that protect users from malicious apps: “The first concerns the policies and processes for developers, which govern what an app can and cannot do. Apple can check if a developer is following these policies, because real people review every app submitted to the App Store. And by uploading an app to the App Store, that app is also automatically scanned for known malware, protecting users even more from malicious apps. The second security check concerns the users themselves. Since Apple requires developers to ask the user for permission before they can access features like an iPhone’s microphone or camera, a user can identify if something shady is going on inside the app.