Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Thanks to CTOnews.com netizen xxy171070, Ishihara Limei Happiness, South China Wu Yanzu, Wufei Brother's left hand, Guzheng Prince's clue delivery! CTOnews.com Apple is preparing to make major changes to its App Store strategy on the iPhone, allowing third-party app stores on the iPhone and iPad to bypass the App Store to install certain programs before officially opening side-loading, according to a new report from Bloomberg Mark Gurman.

In response to the European Union's upcoming Digital Markets Act, Apple has begun getting software engineers and employees to prepare a project that would allow third-party app stores to exist on iPhones and iPads instead of the App Store, but it's uncertain whether an alternative payment system will be allowed.

CTOnews.com warned that DMA could force Apple to make major changes to products such as App Store, Messages, FaceTime, Siri (WebKit), and they must complete the changes by March 6, 2024. At that time, Apple may open up the underlying framework and API to third-party apps, providing deeper support for core system features and hardware. It follows reports that Apple is working to open NFC in a limited way to allow Apple Pay alternatives and is considering further opening up the Find My network to third-party accessory manufacturers such as Tile.

If Apple refuses to comply with the Digital Markets Act, the EU can fine the company 20 percent of its global revenue. Based on Apple's current revenue, the fine could be as high as $80 billion.

Gulman's sources expect the change to likely come on iOS 17 next year. The plan is described as a "major move to open up key elements of Apple's platform," the person said, adding that "as part of the change, users will eventually be able to download third-party software to their iPhones and iPads without using the company's App Store."

For now, the most significant change in this adjustment is that if users do not use the App Store to download apps, it means that developers do not have to pay Apple 15% to 30% of the cut (presumably charging third-party stores), thus reducing the cost of developers and users, but the problem is that Apple is afraid to implement this strategy only in Europe for the time being.

Of course, if other countries introduce similar legislative support, third-party app stores may gradually expand to markets outside the EU. American regulators, for example, have been wrangling with apple over the issue.

But Apple has insisted that "sideloading will undermine the privacy and security protections iPhone users rely on, leaving people vulnerable to malware, fraud, data tracking and other problems," so it is adamant, even though too many in the industry believe it is a matter of profit rather than true user concern.

Apple's internal decision was reportedly criticized by some employees. For example, some engineers see this as "interference with the normal development of future functionality."

Apple is investing significant resources company-wide. Given that Apple has been decrying "sideloading"--the process of installing software without using the official app store--for years, the move isn't popular inside Apple. In lobbying against the new European law, Apple argued that side-loading could compromise privacy by putting insecure apps on consumers 'devices.

Some of the engineers involved in the project also believed it would distract them from day-to-day development of future features, people familiar with the matter said. Apple's goal is to include these changes as part of next year's iOS 17 update, which will meet the requirements.

Andreas Wendker, Apple's vice president of software engineering, will lead the effort, and Wendker will report directly to Craig Fedridge.

In addition to the engineering team, Apple's service team is also involved, including Jeff Robbin, Apple's "senior engineering manager for services", who is leading this effort.

Apple is considering "the idea of enforcing certain security requirements, even if the software is distributed outside of its stores. "These apps may require Apple verification," a process that may incur costs to developers. It remains to be seen whether the company will continue to pursue projects in this area.

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