IPhones with iOS 17 have learned to install applications via AirDrop

It looks like Apple is preparing to respond to EU demands and allow third party download applications on iPhone. You can already transfer the .IPA file of the application to a smartphone with iOS 17 via AirDrop - and it will be installed. On this noticed developer under the nickname DylanMcD8.

For the test, he used an application he had previously written, which he did not upload to the App Store even through TestFlight. It was added to the application library and launched after being transferred to the smartphone via AirDrop. The author was able to confirm the function works on iOS 17.0.3, 17.1 and 17.2, but not on iOS 16.6.

There is an important nuance here. To transfer an application to iPhone, you need to get it in .IPA format - that is, pull out the file application from a smartphone on which it is already installed. But due to the nature of the format, applications are tied to an Apple ID, and this information is stored in a file. If you send an application file via AirDrop that is not linked to your smartphone account, you will not be able to launch it.

In DylanMcD8's case, it worked because the app was signed by his developer account, which is used on his devices. But you won’t be able to install it on other smartphones via AirDrop, because the application has never been in the App Store. But even with applications from the store, not everything is so simple. If you try to transfer an .IPA application from your smartphone to a friend, the application will not install until he logs into the linked Apple ID account - that is, yours.

Apple must allow third-party app downloads by spring 2024 to avoid fines in Europe. By that time, the iPhone may be allowed to use third-party app stores (albeit not everywhere), but there are already benefits from installing via AirDrop - especially in Russia. Considering the blocking of Russian bank applications in the App Store, it may be convenient to download copies of applications from your smartphone and save them to “Files”. Even they will disappear from the App Store; in the future, you can quickly install them on a new device without a computer at hand.