Apple has unveiled in a recent announcement that they are going to allow third party apps on their upcoming iOS 17 update. In terms of the unique policies maintained by Apple, this has to be a significant development in the recent past. As per the present policy, Apple do not allow to use third party apps, which are not in App Store.
The iPhone users will be able to use the device with more flexibility and choices with this change. This feature in not new on Android ecosystem, where the users can install apps from various sources. The move by Apple will bring it more in line with the open nature of Android system.
While the App store has millions of apps, there are still many popular and useful apps that are not available for Apple users so far. Therefore they are probably going to have access to a wider range of Apps in the near future according to the sources.
When it comes to the App developers, they will have more opportunities to reach iPhone users. The developers has to go through the Apple’s strict App store review process at present. It is apparent that this process is designed to ensure quality and security. It can be a barrier to some developers though.
On the other hand this decision by Apple will have potential downsides as well.
- Risk of malware and other security threats
- Apple will find it harder to maintain it’s tight control over the user experience.
Overall, the decision to allow third party apps on iPhone will be a significant change in Apple’s history. While it will offer more choices to users and more opportunities to developers, it will have considerable security threats as well. However, it will be interesting to see how the development will play out in Apple ecosystem.
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