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Apple's malicious compliance: sideloading will remain impossible on your iPhone

44 points by mrzool 3y ago

bhpm 3y ago
Article doesn’t say anything new.
bluish29 3y ago
I would say the title is using a strong word like "impossible" and it is not true. Even now, you can sideload apps if you have a developer account (or certificate, which you can generate a dozen using one account). This will stay happening. There is even a market for these certificates. Yes, this is ridiculous and annoying, and you pay apple more for freedom to use your device. But it is not impossible.
- gorbypark 3y ago
  Technically you don't even have to pay them, it's just your free developer account certificates are only valid for a week, so you constantly need to re-add the app to your phone via a cable/Xcode.
  - extraduder_ire 3y ago
    You can install an application called ReProvision that can automate this on the device itself. It will need to be installed the same way as the app you want to re-sign though.
    - Pesthuf 3y ago
      And then you can only install 2 apps in total since the reprovisioning app takes one of the three slots. Apple carefully designed this process to be as annoying as possible.
    - gorbypark 3y ago
      That's pretty neat, I had no idea about ReProvision! I know there's an "App Store" that runs on macOS that does something similar (but of course requires the periodic reconnection). I have a paid developer account, but I'm always wary of trying out these "alternative methods" of app distribution in fear of somehow affecting my paid account (which is how I make my living).
- SirMaster 3y ago
  Yeah, I don't know why so many places say it's impossible. Guess I've been doing the impossible for about a decade now... And we have tools today that make it not very painful at all at least IMO.
- nosrepa 3y ago
  Is it still freedom at that point though?
- nosrepa 3y ago
  Is it still freedom at that point though?
justinclift 3y ago
The mandatory .5 Euro charge per app means that an app store for free/OSS apps can't exist. :( If our (sqlitebrowser.org) desktop application was instead an iPhone application, then our ~180k downloads a month would have us hitting the 1 million downloads limit in ~6 months. This new Apple policy seems super anti-competitive.
- _boffin_ 3y ago
  That’s if you wanted to use a separate App Store than apple’s. My question for you is, if you’re a free app, what’s your incentive to move AppStore? Ps. Love the desktop app. One of my first installs on any new computer or fresh format.
  - justinclift 3y ago
    The incentive that springs to mind for me is OSS apps using a license Apple doesn't allow with their store. eg licenses of the GPL variety With the new separate app store concept, it should be possible to have one(s) allowing GPL apps. Except this mandatory fee per app kills the whole thing outright. :( --- And thanks. :)
  - wkat4242 3y ago
    Many incentives: - no limit on the kind of apps possible (browsers, emulators etc) - no $100 per year fee just to be able to publish the app you offer for free - not having to deal with random Apple rejections of updates And indeed the licence thing mentioned too. Also reproducible builds a la F-Droid.
- scarface_74 3y ago
  There is nothing stopping you from compiling and packaging an open source app and charging $0.50 for it. If you can’t convince people to pay $0.50 for the convenience, maybe it’s not valuable? Admittedly, the $0.50 per year sucks and causes you to have a subscription for a free app.
  - justinclift 3y ago
scarface_74 3y ago
the article repeatedly gets this wrong. > With new EU rules and regulations, Apple is now required to allow the sideloading of apps to iOS devices The DMA requires side loading or alternative app stores. Apple chose the latter.

44 points by mrzool 3y ago

bhpm 3y ago

Article doesn’t say anything new.

I would say the title is using a strong word like "impossible" and it is not true. Even now, you can sideload apps if you have a developer account (or certificate, which you can generate a dozen using one account). This will stay happening. There is even a market for these certificates. Yes, this is ridiculous and annoying, and you pay apple more for freedom to use your device. But it is not impossible.

gorbypark 3y ago
Technically you don't even have to pay them, it's just your free developer account certificates are only valid for a week, so you constantly need to re-add the app to your phone via a cable/Xcode.
- extraduder_ire 3y ago
  You can install an application called ReProvision that can automate this on the device itself. It will need to be installed the same way as the app you want to re-sign though.
  - Pesthuf 3y ago
    And then you can only install 2 apps in total since the reprovisioning app takes one of the three slots. Apple carefully designed this process to be as annoying as possible.
  - gorbypark 3y ago
    That's pretty neat, I had no idea about ReProvision! I know there's an "App Store" that runs on macOS that does something similar (but of course requires the periodic reconnection). I have a paid developer account, but I'm always wary of trying out these "alternative methods" of app distribution in fear of somehow affecting my paid account (which is how I make my living).
SirMaster 3y ago
Yeah, I don't know why so many places say it's impossible. Guess I've been doing the impossible for about a decade now... And we have tools today that make it not very painful at all at least IMO.
nosrepa 3y ago
Is it still freedom at that point though?
nosrepa 3y ago
Is it still freedom at that point though?

justinclift 3y ago

The mandatory .5 Euro charge per app means that an app store for free/OSS apps can't exist. :( If our (sqlitebrowser.org) desktop application was instead an iPhone application, then our ~180k downloads a month would have us hitting the 1 million downloads limit in ~6 months. This new Apple policy seems super anti-competitive.

_boffin_ 3y ago
That’s if you wanted to use a separate App Store than apple’s. My question for you is, if you’re a free app, what’s your incentive to move AppStore? Ps. Love the desktop app. One of my first installs on any new computer or fresh format.
- justinclift 3y ago
  The incentive that springs to mind for me is OSS apps using a license Apple doesn't allow with their store. eg licenses of the GPL variety With the new separate app store concept, it should be possible to have one(s) allowing GPL apps. Except this mandatory fee per app kills the whole thing outright. :( --- And thanks. :)
- wkat4242 3y ago
  Many incentives: - no limit on the kind of apps possible (browsers, emulators etc) - no $100 per year fee just to be able to publish the app you offer for free - not having to deal with random Apple rejections of updates And indeed the licence thing mentioned too. Also reproducible builds a la F-Droid.
scarface_74 3y ago
There is nothing stopping you from compiling and packaging an open source app and charging $0.50 for it. If you can’t convince people to pay $0.50 for the convenience, maybe it’s not valuable? Admittedly, the $0.50 per year sucks and causes you to have a subscription for a free app.
- justinclift 3y ago

scarface_74 3y ago

the article repeatedly gets this wrong. > With new EU rules and regulations, Apple is now required to allow the sideloading of apps to iOS devices The DMA requires side loading or alternative app stores. Apple chose the latter.