Apple claims iOS is more secure than Android

Apple claimed that iOS it is safer than Android because you can’t load apps with the sideloading. Let’s find out all the details together.

iOS is safer than Android: Apple says so

In response to the European Commission’s draft law on digital markets, which could force sideloading of applications on the iPhone in Europe, Apple shared an in-depth document highlighting the risks to safety and the privacy of sideloading.

Sideloading refers toinstallation of applications outside the App Store, for example from a third-party website or app store.

Apple’s document, titled Building a Trusted Ecosystem for Millions of Appsstates that “mobile malware and the resulting threats to security and privacy are increasingly common and present on platforms that allow sideloading.”

Apple sued i Threat Intelligence reports 2019 And 2020 by Nokia. According to reports, Android devices have “an estimated 15 to 47 times more malicious software infections” than iPhones.

The Android smartphone are the most common targets of the mobile malware. They recently underwent between 15 and 47 times more malicious software infections than iPhone.

One study found that the 98% of mobile malware targets Android devices. This is closely related to the sideloading. In 2018, for example, Android devices that installed applications outside of Google Play had eight times more likely to be affected by apps harmful than those who have not.

On the other hand, Apple claimed that malware on iOS is rare. He said many of the attacks on the platform are “strictly targeted attacks, often conducted by nation states”. The company added that “experts agree that iOS is more secure than Android, in part because Apple doesn’t support sideloading.”

Apple on sideloading

Apple said if it were forced to allow sideloading, users would be subject to multiple malicious apps. Furthermore they would have less control over apps after downloading them to their devices. The company also added that some bills on sideloading would also enforce the removal of protections against third party access to proprietary hardware elements and non-public functions of the operating system, with consequent risks for the security and privacy of users.

In addition, the company has addressed many of these topics in a similar document shared in June. Tim CookApple’s CEO, previously said that app sideloading “would destroy iPhone security” and “many of the privacy initiatives we’ve built in the App Store.”

To conclude, the company faced increasing scrutiny on its own App Store, which remains the only place to install apps on iPhones and iPads, excluding devices that have been jailbroken. Fortnite creator Epic Games sued Apple last year for anti-competitive conduct. However, he was unsuccessful in convincing the court to force Apple to allow third-party app stores on iOS.