Samsung is at war with Apple
Future releases via Getty Images
Android is changing as Google closes the gap with the iPhone. For many long-time Android users, these changes will have a terrible impact when their phones are locked down for the first time. But for the majority, it helps keep them safe. As much as Google is trying to accomplish this mission of catching up, Samsung is trying to go even further.
As this month’s privacy backlash all too well illustrates, the reality is that while Apple doesn’t always get it right, users still feel safer and more secure on their iPhones. Android is more open to attacks. Apple’s safety measures ultimately come down to control. Stricter App Store policies, less flexibility in apps running on devices, stricter privacy rules, and ownership of hardware and software that enables end-to-end monitoring.
The core difference in Android has always been the option to sideload apps. This open ecosystem is responsible for many, if not all, of Android’s security failures. “We’re trying to strike a balance. We believe in having a choice,” Sundar Pichai said, but added, “It’s like a seatbelt in a car. We want to make sure it’s safe to use. “Adding protection.”
Apple doesn’t believe in giving users the option to take risks. There has never been a form of sideloading. At least until the EU mandated more flexibility last year. With this move, Apple said, “Sideloading on iPhone puts all users at risk, including those who are making deliberate efforts to protect themselves by downloading apps only through the App Store.” “It will happen,” he warned. Allowing sideloading would lead to a surge in new investment in iPhone attacks and encourage malicious actors to develop the tools and expertise to attack the security of iPhone devices on an unprecedented scale. Sho. ”
Everything changes. Google has been tightening some restrictions over the past 12 months. Screening for low-quality and high-risk Play Store apps, extending Play Protect to all apps regardless of publisher, enhancing the Play Integrity API to treat apps differently than apps outside the Play Store, and soon We plan to handle it differently based on the OS version. Phone calls, and more open warnings about the risks of sideloading.
This all culminates in Android 15. You can play it now on a Pixel near you, and it’s about to be released on Samsung. This upgrade incorporates all of the above enhancements into an OS designed with security in mind. Add insecure connection protection and live threat detection, use AI to monitor how apps actually behave on your phone, and flag risks before central monitoring detects problems. Masu.
All of this is a hammer blow to the open side loading of the past. Android Police says, “Android 15’s new sideloading restrictions could signal a shift in the Android ecosystem, challenging its historically open nature.” These stricter security measures protect average users from malicious apps, but they risk alienating power users, amateur developers, modders, and hobbyists who rely on Android’s flexibility. With the rollout of Android 15, the backlash to these changes will quickly become apparent. ”
Samsung released the One UI 7 beta just before the holidays, embarrassingly late to the Android 15 party, but it’s preparing a broader release for the launch of the Galaxy S25 a month from now. . And Samsung has reviewed and further strengthened Android 15’s security restrictions. The Galaxy maker has gone even further, offering Android the closest we’ve ever seen to Apple’s iPhone proposition.
Samsung is moving in this direction faster than Google, setting a maximum limit to default last year to make sideloading difficult. With the upgrade to Android 15, “To protect against sideloading of malicious apps, One UI 7’s new safe installation system works with automatic blockers to send alerts when users try to download from unauthorized sources. and warn you about security risks.
Just as importantly, Samsung is enhancing its Knox Matrix ecosystem with One UI 7. This means that the more Samsung devices a user owns, the more secure they are. This not only replicates Apple’s ecosystem better, but also makes it more difficult to replace Samsung with Pixel or other Android versions without losing benefits. Apple’s walled garden comes to mind.
Don’t get me wrong. This is just the beginning of the ambiguity between Android and iPhone. Just as Apple is opening up to non-Apple default apps and non-Apple stores, Android and Samsung in particular are going the opposite way. This is long overdue, and for almost all mainstream users, this is nothing but a good thing. Samsung and Apple dominate the global premium smartphone segment, and the battle is closer than ever.
I expect Samsung to further lock down its Galaxy devices with a series of small changes starting in 2025, making it increasingly difficult to drive without a seatbelt. And this extends to the security of AI on-device and in the cloud, opening up a whole new threat landscape just as AI-powered cyberattacks become the norm. In this new world, there is no place to risk using your cell phone. Die-hard Android users may not like this, but they’ll almost certainly have to get used to it.
