Third-party app access in iOS 17.4 will bring risks alarms Apple executive

Last month Apple announced its biggest app ecosystem change in Europe that will arrive with iOS 17.4 and its third-party app access will invite new risks for iPhone users, says an Apple executive.

In an interview with Fast Company, Apple Executive Phil Schiller said that the EU’s guidelines to open iPhones for third-party app stores will make the user’s privacy vulnerable.

The change is coming after the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) called on Apple to comply with its market competition rule and open its app ecosystem for third party app marketplaces.

“These new regulations, while they bring new options for developers also bring new risks. There’s no getting around that,” Schiller commented on the DMA. “So we’re doing everything we can to minimize those risks for everyone”.

To follow DMA, iOS 17.4 will be the first version to enable app downloads from other places than the App Store. Third-party app makers and companies can also launch their app stores or get their apps published on other third-party stores.

iPhone users will be able to choose a default browser when they open the browser for the first time. Another big change would be opening NFC access for third-party mobile payment systems.

“We’ve put together over 600 new APIs for developers to give them the tools to build a marketplace, install an app, and let the user have control of that process,” added Apple’s Schiller.

Risks:

A major concern for the open market would be malicious apps. These apps come with hidden code execution and twisted apps intent to steal user data.

The Apple executive explains that the third-party app store would significantly reduce Apple’s control over such apps. However, the iPhone maker added some safety checks to help reduce the risks from its side.

This includes a “Notarization process” for all iPhone apps and all developers must submit their apps to the process to get it published on any third-party app store.

The test will run through the app through several automated tests and scan for malicious code and malware. Once verified, the app will receive the digital key to publish on the iPhone. This process is not an in-depth review of the app which may still impose danger for the iPhone user.

iOS 17.4:

This new iOS build is currently in beta test and the company has planned to release a public version of iOS 17.4 for all iPhone users in Europe in March this year.