According to reports, Apple intends to allow iOS users to install different app stores. The corporation is infamous for allowing only iPhone and iPad users to download programs from the App Store. So it would make a notable move with the update.
The EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is intended to provide “rules for digital gatekeepers to ensure open markets” when its limits become necessary in 2024, is said to be the impetus behind the proposals.
According to the legislation, Apple must provide sideloading, which lets customers install web-based software and third-party app shops. Apple officials have previously referred to the ability to sideload software as “a cybercriminal’s closest buddy.”
The EU has established a somewhat complicated timeline for enforcing the rule, including corporations that may be impacted by informing authorities and a commission deciding whether they need to make adjustments.
However, according to the EU’s news release, gatekeeper corporations must abide by the law no later than March 6th, 2024.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23925967/acastro_STK045_02.jpg)
Apple may still have some control over the situation. According to Bloomberg, the business is reportedly considering “mandating certain security requirements,” some form of external app verification, and maybe levying a charge. According to Bloomberg, Apple has not decided whether it would permit developers to incorporate third-party payment methods into their apps, as required by the DMA.
Another requirement of the DMA is that iMessage be compatible with other services. It also hasn’t determined how to do this, and it could let additional location-based devices like Tile use its Find My network.
A request for comment from Apple did not immediately receive a response.
Apple resolves a zero-day security flaw
Apple has stated it cannot circumvent EU legislation requiring the inclusion of USB-C in the iPhone by 2024, which is why the company is presently working on another significant upgrade driven by EU regulations.
The update, iOS 16.1.2, was released on November 30 and included unnamed “critical security fixes” for all compatible iPhones, including iPhone 8 and later.
Apple claimed the update patched a bug in WebKit, the browser engine that powers Safari and other apps, in a disclosure to its security updates website on Tuesday. However, the bug may have allowed malicious code to run on the user’s device if exploited. The vendor has just one day to address the vulnerability, hence the “zero-day” problem.
According to Apple, the WebKit problem was found and disclosed by security experts at Google’s Threat Analysis Group, which looks at nation-state-sponsored malware, hacking, and cyberattacks.
