Sideloading changed everything and nothing about my iPhone

Macworld When Apple first announced that it would allow third-party app marketplaces on the iPhone, it felt like a major turning point. For years, the App Store had been the only place where iPhone users could download apps, and regulators around the world had been pushing Apple to loosen its grip on software distribution. It was easy to imagine a future where people would browse multiple app stores, developers would offer exclusive deals, and Apple’s App Store would suddenly face real competition. Now that I’ve actually been living with alternative app marketplaces on my iPhone for the past few weeks, I can confidently say nothing has really changed. It’s not that alternative app stores don’t work. They do. But once the novelty wears off, I found myself going right back to the App Store. From the App Store to app marketplaces For nearly two decades, the App Store was the only official way to install apps on an iPhone. That began to change in 2024, when Apple