You're right, but that fundamentally changes how I look at apps on my iPhone and my device or the ecosystem as a whole. Right now, any app icon I see on my phon

You're right, but that fundamentally changes how I look at apps on my iPhone and my device or the ecosystem as a whole. Right now, any app icon I see on my phone, or any Apple device, I implicitly trust, because I have outsourced my trust to a corporation. This does not mean there are not scummy/weaselly apps out there (tiktok/Facebook/etc. for example). Like root certificates, you have to trust someone, at some point. I am choosing to trust Apple. By allowing side-loading apps, that is eroded, even if the tiniest bit.