Apple in 2021:

‘Sideloading is a cyber criminal’s best friend,’ according to Apple’s software chief

Craig Federighi says that “the floodgates are open for malware” if Apple allows sideloading on iOS

Source: Verge

And now it appears that Apple may soon allow sideloading of apps on iOS.

From 9to5mac:

iOS 17.2 hints at Apple moving towards letting users sideload apps from outside the App Store

Apple has been under pressure in the European Union as the Digital Markets Act antitrust legislation requires the company to allow users to sideload apps outside the App Store to increase competition. 9to5Mac has now found evidence in the iOS 17.2 beta code that the company is indeed moving towards enabling sideloading on iOS devices.

What is sideloading?

For those unfamiliar, the sideloading process consists of installing apps obtained from third-party sources instead of an official source. When it comes to iOS, the official source (and the only one available to iPhone and iPad users) is the App Store. Apple has never allowed sideloading on iOS, as this would allow apps to bypass the App Store guidelines.