Apple Says Allowing Sideloading on iPhone Would Expose Users to Serious Privacy and Security Risks

Amid the ongoing controversy over its tight control of app distribution on iOS, Apple today laid out its case arguing that allowing apps to be sideloaded on an iPhone would expose users to serious privacy and security risks. Sideloading refers to installing apps from a source outside of the official App Store, such as a website or third-party app store.

app store blue banner
In a new document shared on its privacy website, Apple said the App Store plays an important role in keeping users safe, as the company reviews all apps and app updates submitted to ensure they are free of inappropriate content, privacy invasions, known malware, or other violations of the App Store Review Guidelines.

The document cites Nokia's 2020 Threat Intelligence Report that found Android devices to be infected with significantly more malware than iPhones, in part due to Android allowing apps to be sideloaded outside of the Google Play store:

A study found that devices that run on Android had 15 times more infections from malicious software than iPhone, with a key reason being that Android apps "can be downloaded from just about anywhere," while everyday iPhone users can only download apps from one source: the App Store.

Apple said allowing sideloading on the iPhone would "spur a flood of new investment into attacks" on the iOS platform:

Because of 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 flood of new investment into attacks on the platform. Malicious actors would take advantage of the opportunity by devoting more resources to develop sophisticated attacks targeting iOS users, thereby expanding the set of weaponized exploits and attacks – often referred to as a "threat model" – that all users need to be safeguarded against. This increased risk of malware attacks puts all users at greater risk, even those who only download apps from the App Store.

Apple added that allowing sideloading would potentially force users to accept privacy and security risks, because some apps necessary for work, school, or other tasks may no longer be available on the App Store, and scammers could also trick users into thinking they are safely downloading apps from the App Store when that is not the case.

In the end, Apple said users would have to constantly be on the lookout for scams, never knowing who or what to trust, and as a result many users would download fewer apps from fewer developers. On the other hand, Apple described the App Store as a "trusted place," noting that its many layers of security provide users with an "unparalleled level of protection from malicious software," giving users peace of mind.

Apple's document comes just weeks after its high-profile trial with Fortnite creator Epic Games, which argued that third-party app stores should be allowed on iOS. During the trial, when asked why sideloading is allowed on the Mac, but not the iPhone, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi admitted that the Mac has imperfect security and said that the risks would be far greater on the iPhone due to its much larger customer base.

The full document can be read on Apple's website.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With Rear Camera Bar Allegedly Shown in Leaked Photo

Tuesday January 21, 2025 12:46 pm PST by
A leaker known as "Majin Bu" today shared an alleged image of a component for the rumored, ultra-thin "iPhone 17 Air" model. The blurry, pixelated image shows a pair of rear iPhone shells with a pill-shaped, raised camera bar along the top. On the left side of the bar, there is a circular cutout that appears to be for a single rear camera. On the right side of the bar, there appears to be an ...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
iPhone SE Dynamic Island Majin Bu

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name

Monday January 20, 2025 9:01 am PST by
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass. In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full Release Notes for iOS 18.3

Tuesday January 21, 2025 4:31 pm PST by
Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 18.3 today, and with it comes release notes confirming what's new. While we knew about several of the features that are in the update, there are some lesser known tweaks and bug fixes. The update adds new Visual Intelligence features for iPhone 16 models, it tweaks Notification summaries on all...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
ipad pro 2024

New iPad Pro Reportedly Launching This Year

Tuesday January 21, 2025 6:40 am PST by
Apple plans to release at least one new iPad Pro model this year, according to a supplier-focused report today from Korean website The Elec. It is likely that the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models would be updated simultaneously. After receiving an OLED display last year, the report said the iPad Pro will receive only "minor" changes this year. Overall, the next iPad Pro is expected to...
truecaller

Truecaller iOS Update Rolls Out Real-Time Caller ID Support

Wednesday January 22, 2025 2:07 am PST by
Popular caller ID app Truecaller is rolling out an update that brings real-time caller ID support to its iOS subscribers. Apple introduced Live Caller ID Lookup in iOS 18, allowing third-party caller ID apps to securely retrieve information about a caller from their servers, hence today's Truecaller update. iPhone users can enable the Live Caller ID Lookup feature by going to Settings ➝ ...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...

Top Rated Comments

I@beck Avatar
47 months ago
At this point of time, I support Apple for not allowing sideloading. Security and privacy are my upmost important thing for me. please don’t make Apple become Android 2.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tcgjeukens Avatar
47 months ago
I'm a MacOS users since 2005. I've always been able to exercise a decent degree of autonomy over my device. I can install apps from the AppStore, Identified Developers ... and after ignoring a set of warnings, Unidentified Developers.
Ever since, MacOS has been my safest and stable platform.
Unfortunately this level of autonomy does not extend to iOS. This needs to change! It is possible as MacOS has proven for so many years.


Attachment Image
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ian87w Avatar
47 months ago

And only having the option to download from the AppStore is how it should continue to be. If people want to sideload etc. then they have the option to go and buy an Android device. This whole suing culture from companies that are getting their pants in a twist because they have to follow Apples App Store rules and regs baffles me every time.
This. The choice is already there. Making every platform to be roughly the same is not choice, it's removing choice.
It's funny how people demanding choice actually want to remove choice.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Liquid Galaxy Avatar
47 months ago
And only having the option to download from the AppStore is how it should continue to be. If people want to sideload etc. then they have the option to go and buy an Android device. This whole suing culture from companies that are getting their pants in a twist because they have to follow Apples App Store rules and regs baffles me every time.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bandrews Avatar
47 months ago

At this point of time, I support Apple for not allowing sideloading. Security and privacy are my upmost important thing for me.
You could just not sideload then? I'm not into sideloading but what's the harm in allowing others to do it so long as they're presented with a warning/disclaimer before doing so?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iGobbleoff Avatar
47 months ago
Didn’t the App Store let in apps that were fakes of real apps?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)