While alternative app stores operate independently and are required by EU law, Apple is still in a position to exert some control. This became apparent a few weeks ago, when iTorrent users suddenly ran into trouble when installing the app.
Thought this was an interesting story, since it’s pretty analagous to the recent Android situation, with third party app stores being enabled to some extent, but the company retaining ultimate censorship power.
If you already shelled out the shekels for an Apple device, you certainly don’t care about paying superfluous money so this shouldn’t be an issue.
A relative from a different country gave me their old phone, a iPhone 11 Pro Max.
I can’t use it as a phone to call, because it currently takes 3 times the phone’s cost to register foreign originated phones to use permanently inside my country.
I don’t have a mac, so I can’t start coding native apps on it. At most I was able to test flutter web projects, which are basically websites. I have a goddamn phone and the most customizable thing I can make on it is testing my web app.
If I could try developing native apps on it for free, straight out of my machine I would. But it’s honestly so expensive that it drives me away any time I get slighty interested on the idea, it’s much easier on Android.