U.S. Government to Explore Sideloading and Web App Restrictions on iOS

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has launched an investigation into the competitiveness in the mobile app market.

On behalf of the US Department of Commerce, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is now soliciting input on competition in mobile app ecosystems. The research was prompted by a presidential directive on Promoting Competition in the American Economy issued in July of last year, with the purpose of providing recommendations for improving competition, decreasing entry barriers, and increasing customer value. President Biden's executive order is explained in the following way:

The American information technology sector has long been an engine of innovation and growth, but today a small number of dominant Internet platforms use their power to exclude market entrants, to extract monopoly profits, and to gather intimate personal information that they can exploit for their own advantage. Too many small businesses across the economy depend on those platforms and a few online marketplaces for their survival...

The formal call for feedback outlines how iOS is expected to be reviewed as part of the probe, including concerns regarding the benefits of producing a separate app for a platform vs cross-platform web apps, how web apps should work on mobile platforms, the availability of alternative app distribution methods, and app sideloading. The "special barriers" that prevent customers and developers from accessing internet applications, apps from competing app stores, or sideloaded programs are specifically underlined. Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion of this topic; This article by no means is attempting to take political sides.