apple: Apple warns US lawmakers on dangers of ‘sideloading’: What exactly is sideloading of apps – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Apple has written to lawmakers to dispute assertions that its concerns about the dangers of sideloading apps into phones are overblown. Congress is currently considering a bill aimed at reigning in app stores run by Apple and Alphabet’s Google, which would require companies to allow sideloading. Apple has argued that such a practice would be a security risk as it keeps tight control of the apps in the store in order to keep users safe.
What is sideloading of apps
Sideloading allows users to download and install apps directly onto their smartphones from the open internet. This means that users can download and install apps from an online marketplace that is not sanctioned by the device maker. These third-party app stores allow users to download apps that are not available on Google Play Store on their Android devices. While Apple does not allow users to download apps from third-party app stores, Google allows Android users to sideload apps. However, Google too warns users to avoid using apps from third-party app stores for security reasons. Security research firms too warn Android users to not download apps from anywhere other than Google’s official app store, Google Play. Google and App store follow strict rules and vet the application for malware, the same stringent process is unlikely to be followed by third-party app stores.
What Google says on downloading apps from other sources, in other words on sideloading
* If you download apps from unknown sources, your phone and personal information can be at risk.
* Your phone could get damaged or lose data.
* Your personal information could be harmed or hacked.