Apple may announce support for sideloading apps on iPhones via iOS 17 as part of WWDC 2023

It's been highly anticipated for a while, but it looks like Apple might finally start supporting a feature that's already allowed on Android smartphones. A new report claims that Apple will use its annual WWDC developers conference in June to reveal sideloading support of apps for the upcoming iOS 17 update.

The report from Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, says that the new feature will be Apple's attempt to comply with the approval of the European Union's Digital Markets Act that was passed in 2022. That law requires devices like the iPhone to allow for third-party installation of apps. The law adds that those devices must comply by March 2024. This will obviously be a huge sea change for iPhone owners, who have only been able to download apps via Apple's app store.

Bloomberg also claims that Apple will still officially announce its long-in-development mixed reality headset at WWDC 2023, Recent unconfirmed reports claim the headset has had production delays, but Bloomberg claims it will still get a big reveal at the conference, although it might not go on sale until the end of 2023.

The report says that we could also see some new MacBook notebook models debut at WWDC and that the next watchOS update could see some major interface changes for owners of the Apple Watch when it is shown off at the conference.