14 DAY TRIAL // Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed his company’s choice to block sideloading apps on iOS, explaining that one of the reasons this is not allowed on iPhones is because of the security risks that are involved.
And to prove his point, Cook compared iOS to Android, showing just how much malware exists in Google’s mobile ecosystem versus Apple’s operating system.
Speaking at Viva Tech conference, Cook said there’s 47 times more malware on Android than on iOS, mostly because Google has decided to allow sideloading apps, therefore making it easier for malicious apps to end up running on devices out there.
Sideloading apps comes with too many risks
Instead, Cook says, directing everyone to the App Store and making sure no dangerous app makes its way to it is one efficient way to protect users.
“I would say [side-loading] would damage both privacy and security. I mean, you look at malware as an example, and Android has 47x more malware than iOS,” Cook said.
“Why is that? It’s because we’ve designed iOS in such a way that there’s one App Store and all of the apps are reviewed prior to going on the store. That keeps a lot of this malware stuff out of our ecosystem. Customers have told us very continuously how much they value that. And so we’re going to be standing up for the user in the discussions and we’ll see where it goes. I’m optimistic, I think most people looking at security know that security is a major risk.”
With these being said, it’s pretty clear Apple has no intention to allow sideloading apps on iOS, not now and certainly not in the short term. For the time being, the App Store remains the only place where you can install apps on an iPhone.