The iPhone is in for a big change. Later this year with iOS 17.4, app side loading and third-party app stores will be a thing. But only for some users.
Big changes are coming to the iPhone this year. On January 25, Apple announced a slew of changes coming to iOS — including the ability to sideload applications and download apps from alternative/third-party app stores.
These are things you’ve been able to do on Android for years but have long been absent from the iPhone. The Play Store is the primary way to download apps on Android, but you can also manually download APK files from any website that has them available. Similarly, you can use alternative app stores like the Samsung Galaxy Store and Amazon App Store. When iOS 17.4 releases later this year, iPhone users will finally be able to do similar things.
Apple has long been against app sideloading and alternative app stores, and these changes are happening solely so the company can comply with new laws in the European Union — specifically, the EU’s Digital Markets Act (also known as DMA).
