Until now, Apple does not allow the installation of any application externally from outside the official App Store. But it looks like that’s about to change with iOS 17. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, with the influence of regulatory agencies, in iOS 17, users will be able to install applications from outside the store.Apps can be downloaded from outside the App Store.
Application downloads from outside the App Store will be available on iOS 17 under the European Union Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into effect on November 1, 2022. Therefore, we can say that developers will not have to pay Apple’s 15 to 30 percent cut. However, according to Gurman, Apple plans to implement out-of-store upload support by next year to comply with new European regulations.Apple claims that external installation will “undermine the privacy and security protections that iPhone users rely on,” leaving people vulnerable to malware, fraud, data tracking, and other problems. Regardless of these concerns, Apple has to comply with the DMA, as it could risk being fined up to 20 percent of its global revenue for violating EU law. It’s already been possible for years to install apps on Android phones from outside the store. However, it remains unclear for now whether Apple will follow an Android-like path. Apple is expected to make this announcement as part of WWDC, which will take place in June. However, it is stated that Apple will also announce updates for macOS and tvOS.
