Devices that run on Android – a platform that supports sideloading – have an estimated 15 to 47 times more infections from malware than iPhone, according to Nokia’s “Threat Intelligence Reports 2019 and 2020.”
Apple “Building a Trusted Ecosystem for Millions of Apps: A threat analysis of sideloading”:
Supporting sideloading through direct downloads and third-party app stores would cripple the privacy and security protections that have made iPhone so secure, and expose users to serious security risks.
Over the past four years, Android devices were found to have 15 to 47 times more malware infections than iPhone. Nearly 6 million attacks per month were detected by a large security firm on its clients’ Android mobile devices.
Even users who don’t want to sideload and prefer to download apps only from the App Store would be harmed if sideloading were supported.
• Users could be forced to sideload an app they need for work or school. Users also may have no choice other than sideloading an app that they need to connect with family and friends because the app is not made available on the App Store. For example, if sideloading were permitted, some companies may choose to distribute their apps solely outside of the App Store.
• Cybercriminals may trick users into sideloading apps by mimicking the appearance of the App Store, or by touting free or expanded access to services or exclusive features.
A study found that 98 percent of mobile malware targets Android devices (PurpleSec, “2021 Cyber Security Statistics: The Ultimate List Of Stats, Data & Trends,” 2021.).
“Users should avoid (and enterprises should prohibit on their devices) sideloading of apps and the use of unauthorized app stores.” — Department of Homeland Security (United States)
MacDailyNews Take: As ZDNet’s Adrian Kingsley-Hughes wrote back in 2014: Android is a toxic hellstew of vulnerabilities.
If it’s not an iPhone, it’s not an iPhone.
See also: It’s so easy to switch to iPhone.
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