What does “Apple approved” mean? I know Apple has heavy handed curation, for example requiring various forms of moderation / censorship of social media apps. Can these stores offer whatever they want?
Also what’s with that fee? Why aren’t phones forced to operate like traditional operating systems? Apple shouldn’t be allowed to charge fees for people to install software on devices they own.
I'm no expert on the matter, but this is what Apple says:
> All apps listed on alternative app marketplaces are submitted to a Notarization process with Apple. Notarization is a baseline review that applies to all apps, regardless of their distribution channel, focused on platform policies for security and privacy and to maintain device integrity. Through a combination of automated checks and human review, Notarization helps ensure apps are free of known malware, viruses, or other security threats, function as promised, and don’t expose users to egregious fraud. Apple does not enforce the App Store's high standards for business practices and content on apps distributed through alternative app marketplaces.
So what I understand is that it's a baseline check for security, technical issues etc. Content moderation doesn't seem to be a part of it.
oh it's definitely much more than a "baseline check", it seems to be mostly the same silly rules as the real app store
for example, the developer of Clip (Riley Testut) had to add a pointless "map" function which uses the user's location in order to be allowed to run in the background
The first version I tried used the user’s location to remain active, but was rejected by Apple. Testut then updated Clip with a Map feature — so there’s a reason for the app to remain active in the background — to receive approval.
Windows is still around, I think. And you used to be able to install anything on it, from any source, with zero control by MS. (On newer versions that's possibly less true.)
But if you want to steal grandmas' money, it's much easier to setup a romance scam operation than to try to get them to install some app.
You can search for innumerable articles and anecdotes of people moving their family and elders to iOS on mobile and Linux on desktop for exactly these reasons
> Why aren’t phones forced to operate like traditional operating systems?
They are operating like traditional operating systems, namely like game consoles where paying royalties to OS makers for distributing software has been a thing since the Atari/Activision settlement in 1980.
Knowing Apple I'd personally be concerned about retribution from them. I feel like something else completely unrelated on my device will stop functioning because I'm a user of the app store.
I don’t feel like my iPhone 12 mini is slow with 17.4? I guess it doesn’t make sense t argue about subjective experiences but I just wanted add a some anecdata.
Battery feels just fine (over a day, that is with Tailscale turned off [did get better some updates ago.])
Also what’s with that fee? Why aren’t phones forced to operate like traditional operating systems? Apple shouldn’t be allowed to charge fees for people to install software on devices they own.