4 ms·

What applications in the Apple store are able to function as the default SMS app or the default web browser engine? On Android, I can use Signal for SMS and Fi

What applications in the Apple store are able to function as the default SMS app or the default web browser engine? On Android, I can use Signal for SMS and Firefox for browser engine. On my spouse's iPhone, the iOS applications with the same names are severely restricted in their functionality. Blocking ads, scripts, and tracking is significantly more difficult. If you believe these are core OS functions, and therefore not subject to competition, Microsoft has a old story to tell you about Internet Explorer web browser and Windows 95 OS.

scarface74 7y ago
Are they allowed to be default no. Are they allowed on the App Store - yes.
- rickdeckard 7y ago
  Neither of those are actually available, because iOS browsers are not allowed to use other browser-engines than Safari and apps have no means to manage SMS on behalf of the iOS messaging app.
  - scarface74 7y ago
    Allowing third parties to intercept your SMS messages has been a security nightmare for Android. But yes you can install a third party app like Google Voice with its own phone number and send text messages through it. You would really trust any third party to intercept your sms messages? On top of that, the third party dialer integrates with the native dialer and call history.
    - simion314 7y ago
      >You would really trust any third party to intercept your sms messages? Not OP but I trust Thunderbird on my PC to access my emails so why I could not also trust a Mozilla or other trustworthy company to access my messages on my phone where in my case the SMS is used by companies to send me notifications about billing , I am the type of person that will call someone(people in my group don't send SMS)
      - scarface74 7y ago
        So Apple should allow random third parties to intercept SMS messages because “people in your group” don’t use SMS?
        simion314 7y ago
        Apple should let me decide or maybe review Thunderbird and Firefox and allow them. I am wondering how can you bring this argument and at the same time you install random apps on your computer that are not made or restricted by Apple.
        scarface74 7y ago
        That’s kind of my point. I’m very careful about what I install on my computer. I don’t install random crap on my computer from untrusted sources because of the lack of a sandbox. I install any random crap on my phone and tablet because I know they can’t do too much damage between the better permission model and sandboxing.
        simion314 7y ago
        >I install any random crap on my phone and tablet because I know they can’t do too much damage between the better permission model and sandboxing. And how say allowing a reviewed and sandboxed Firefox or a side loaded version that I would enable using some convoluted steps affects you personally? I don't demand Apple to make you less secure just want competition and no restriction, if I need say a power tool like a firewall or to run some custom scripts as root let me as a power user do that in a way you won't be affected - there must be such a solution because I do not see OSX user getting hacked left and right.
        scarface74 7y ago
        I don't demand Apple to make you less secure just want competition and no restriction, There is competition - you can choose the same mobile operating system that 85% of mobile users choose - Android. there must be such a solution because I do not see OSX user getting hacked left and right. A company you may have heard of corrupted user’s operating systems if they had system integrity protection turned off.... https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/15235262?hl=en https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/15235262?hl=en Or another “trustworthy” company installed a web server surreptitiously on users computers so even when they uninstalled the software, it reinstalled itself. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.zdnet.com/google-amp/article/zoom-defends-use-of-local-web-server-on-macs-after-security-report/ https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.zdnet.com/google-amp/articl...
- simion314 7y ago
  Also links in different application will open in what Apple wants not in what browser/app you would like.

scarface74 7y ago

Are they allowed to be default no. Are they allowed on the App Store - yes.

rickdeckard 7y ago
Neither of those are actually available, because iOS browsers are not allowed to use other browser-engines than Safari and apps have no means to manage SMS on behalf of the iOS messaging app.
- scarface74 7y ago
  Allowing third parties to intercept your SMS messages has been a security nightmare for Android. But yes you can install a third party app like Google Voice with its own phone number and send text messages through it. You would really trust any third party to intercept your sms messages? On top of that, the third party dialer integrates with the native dialer and call history.
  - simion314 7y ago
    >You would really trust any third party to intercept your sms messages? Not OP but I trust Thunderbird on my PC to access my emails so why I could not also trust a Mozilla or other trustworthy company to access my messages on my phone where in my case the SMS is used by companies to send me notifications about billing , I am the type of person that will call someone(people in my group don't send SMS)
    - scarface74 7y ago
      So Apple should allow random third parties to intercept SMS messages because “people in your group” don’t use SMS?
      - simion314 7y ago
        Apple should let me decide or maybe review Thunderbird and Firefox and allow them. I am wondering how can you bring this argument and at the same time you install random apps on your computer that are not made or restricted by Apple.
        scarface74 7y ago
        That’s kind of my point. I’m very careful about what I install on my computer. I don’t install random crap on my computer from untrusted sources because of the lack of a sandbox. I install any random crap on my phone and tablet because I know they can’t do too much damage between the better permission model and sandboxing.
        simion314 7y ago
        >I install any random crap on my phone and tablet because I know they can’t do too much damage between the better permission model and sandboxing. And how say allowing a reviewed and sandboxed Firefox or a side loaded version that I would enable using some convoluted steps affects you personally? I don't demand Apple to make you less secure just want competition and no restriction, if I need say a power tool like a firewall or to run some custom scripts as root let me as a power user do that in a way you won't be affected - there must be such a solution because I do not see OSX user getting hacked left and right.
        scarface74 7y ago
        I don't demand Apple to make you less secure just want competition and no restriction, There is competition - you can choose the same mobile operating system that 85% of mobile users choose - Android. there must be such a solution because I do not see OSX user getting hacked left and right. A company you may have heard of corrupted user’s operating systems if they had system integrity protection turned off.... https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/15235262?hl=en https://support.google.com/chrome/thread/15235262?hl=en Or another “trustworthy” company installed a web server surreptitiously on users computers so even when they uninstalled the software, it reinstalled itself. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.zdnet.com/google-amp/article/zoom-defends-use-of-local-web-server-on-macs-after-security-report/ https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.zdnet.com/google-amp/articl...
simion314 7y ago
Also links in different application will open in what Apple wants not in what browser/app you would like.