It's understandable that people are eager for the potential of side loading on iOS, as it could provide more direct access to apps without the need for intermediaries / App Store policy misunderstandings. However, it's worth considering the potential downsides of this approach, particularly the risk of app and service balkanization. This is already happening in the gaming industry, where major studios force you to use their own launchers to capture valuable (sellable) data about their customers.
But to play the optimist, perhaps inspiration can be taken from how macOS handles app installation from non-App Store sources:
- You go to the developers website
- You are presented with two links if the app is also available on the App Store with the alternative being direct download
- After downloading the .dmg you are presented with a modified version of the Installer.app UI that runs you through what services the app uses, data that it collects, where it will install, additional options, etc.
- One final confirmation of "Is this from a trusted developer"
- Installer.app runs a virus / malware check against what is going to be installed
But to play the optimist, perhaps inspiration can be taken from how macOS handles app installation from non-App Store sources:
- You go to the developers website
- You are presented with two links if the app is also available on the App Store with the alternative being direct download
- After downloading the .dmg you are presented with a modified version of the Installer.app UI that runs you through what services the app uses, data that it collects, where it will install, additional options, etc.
- One final confirmation of "Is this from a trusted developer"
- Installer.app runs a virus / malware check against what is going to be installed
- App is ready to go on the phone