Apple's Craig Federighi Says Sideloading on iPhone Would Open the Floodgates to Malware

Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi today expressed his opposition to a provision in Europe's proposed Digital Markets Act that would require the iPhone to allow sideloading of apps outside of the App Store.

craig federighi web summit
Speaking at the Web Summit conference in Portugal, Federighi said sideloading would result in the "floodgates" opening to malware.

Federighi said that while the Digital Markets Act has an "admirable mission" to promote competition and ensure that users have choice, he believes that the provision requiring sideloading would be a "step backwards" that takes away a user's choice of a "more secure platform" in iOS compared to Android.

"As an engineer who wants iPhone to stay as secure as possible for our users, there is one part I worry about, and that's the provision that would require iPhone to allow sideloading," said Federighi. "In the name of giving users more choice, that one provision would take away user's choice of a more secure platform."

Federighi addressed a common suggestion that Apple should at least give users an option to allow sideloading, arguing that even if users have no intention of sideloading, they could be "routinely coerced or tricked into doing it."

Many of Federighi's talking points were ones that Apple previously touched on in an in-depth document shared last month.

A replay of Federighi's appearance is available on LinkedIn.

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Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
43 months ago
Yep, this is exactly why you can't side load in macO—erm…
Score: 62 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
43 months ago
A) no one is forced to sideboard
B) just make it an opt in toggle hidden in some developer settings that no average user is ever going to bother even opening and maybe add like two ARE YOU REALLY SURE YOU WANT TO ENABLE IT pop ups.
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghostface147 Avatar
43 months ago
The Mac doesn’t have these issues. Sure android has malware from time to time, but are the floodgates really open? Nope. Give the users the choice and if they side load and their phone craps out, limit warranty or something.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Think|Different Avatar
43 months ago
It’s true. And we all know it. Even if you want differently.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mookc1 Avatar
43 months ago
Apple's system isn't perfect, but for the most part, it works. Keep the loop closed!
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
XXPP Avatar
43 months ago

A) no one is forced to sideboard
B) just make it an opt in toggle hidden in some developer settings that no average user is ever going to bother even opening and maybe add like two ARE AOU REALLY SURE YOU WANT TO ABLE IT pop ups.
A.You are wrong. Every company, every bank, every greedy company will force you to download the app from an external store.
B. In my country, thieves thoroughly instruct victims how to disable android security and install fake bank applications. Hundreds of millions of losses. On iOS, this was impossible.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)