Sideloading & Alternative App Stores Increasing Brand Risk Mitch Warren February 6, 2024

Sideloading & Alternative App Stores Increasing Brand Risk

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EXPANDING ONLINE BRAND THREAT

Apple iOS 17.4 Allows Sideloading

In March 2024, Apple’s iOS 17.4 allowed sideloading for the first time. This means users can download iOS apps from other app stores, not just the Apple App Store. Whether you support the growth of consumer choice or not, one thing is clear: this will impact your online brand protection program.

Every day at Allure Security, we find unauthorized versions of our customers’ mobile apps. We remove them when our customers ask us to. We understand how unauthorized mobile app versions appear on third-party marketplaces. These apps can change a business’s risk profile.

There will be more places online where individuals post unauthorized versions of your brand’s mobile apps. This change will likely make consumers more comfortable downloading apps from sources other than official marketplaces.

 

WHAT IS IOS 17 SIDELOADING MEANS FOR CONSUMERS AND THIRD-PARTY APP MARKETPLACES

The EU has passed the Digital Markets Act (DMA) to boost competition and innovation. This law will require Apple to let users access alternative app stores and payment systems on iOS. The DMA comes into effect in March 2024.

How iOS 17 sideloading impacts online brand protection strategies

On January 26 Apple released a beta version of iOS 17.4, which included adding changes to allow for sideloading. The EU expects Apple to follow the new antitrust laws in their bill. They also say they will take action if Apple tries to avoid the law. While only in Europe come March, both Japan and the U.S Department of Justice have shown interest in similar changes.

We help our customers reduce digital risk everyday and know third-party mobile app marketplaces’ impact on that risk. We have been following this iOS sideloading saga since rumblings began about a year ago.

App users are getting more comfortable downloading mobile apps from third-party marketplaces. This is neither good nor bad. However, we can expect more third-party marketplaces to appear because of Apple’s new changes. We often find and remove impersonations of our customer’s brands on alternative app stores.

In the past, this was more common on alternative Android stores. Now, we expect to see more alternative iOS app stores. This will create more places for rogue, deceptive, malicious, and out-of-date mobile apps to reside.

Continued Third Party Marketplace Expansion

Many technology companies have been waiting for Apple to loosen its grip on the iOS app market. For example, the Wall Street Journal reported that Meta is working on allowing app downloads directly through Facebook advertisements .

Given the many fake ads we find and remove on Meta’s Instagram, fraudsters may see this as a chance. They might impersonate brands and use social media ads to trick consumers. Their goal is to lead people to harmful app marketplaces or to get them to download dangerous mobile apps.

Brands may decide to offer their app only on the official Apple App Store. However, fraudsters can still upload fake versions of the app to other websites.

Brands must take this growing threat seriously to keep their customers safe in online brand protection strategies.

Protecting Your Brand In Growing Alternative Mobile App Marketplaces

The move to a more open app ecosystem is shown by Apple’s upcoming iOS 17.4 update in Europe. This change gives consumers more choices but also raises the risks of brand impersonation. As more third-party mobile app marketplaces appear, brands must monitor and protect their names on these platforms.

This means keeping up with new third-party mobile app marketplaces. It also involves watching for unauthorized use of their brand. Additionally, they need to spot counterfeit versions of their mobile apps on those app stores.

Some estimates suggest the existence of hundreds of third-party app marketplaces, a figure likely to rise in March. The time to prepare for these changes is now, ensuring that your brand and customers are protected. 

Mobile App Marketplaces Require Continuous Monitoring

Monitoring hundreds of app stores that enable sideloading can quickly become overwhelming. Achieving sufficient visibility requires automation for continual surveillance. Developing such a system from scratch is no small feat, requiring significant resources and expertise.

Fortunately, specialized online brand protection services like Allure Security are leading the way. They use advanced AI technologies to automatically scan popular third-party mobile app marketplaces. This helps them find online brand impersonations quickly and efficiently.

This protects your brand and customers from old, unauthorized, or misleading mobile app versions. You can then focus on your main business activities without worry.

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