--- title: "Apple is holding us back." url: https://daily.dev/posts/apple-is-holding-us-back--b6pqweahb source_url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqOrriq20Tc type: video:youtube source: "Theo - t3․gg" published: 2026-08-05T20:10:13.629Z updated: 2026-08-09T16:25:37.251Z tags: ["apple", "mobile", "ios", "app-store", "xcode"] reading_time: 58 upvotes: 2 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Apple is holding us back. **[Theo - t3․gg](https://daily.dev/sources/t3dotgg)** · 58 min read · 2 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A lengthy, passionate rant from a developer and iOS user arguing that Apple's platform restrictions are actively harming software innovation for everyone — not just iPhone users. Key grievances include: the 36-hour device provisioning wait to sideload your own app, the mandatory Mac requirement to build iOS apps, Xcode's deeply broken build system (rooted in 25-year-old NeXTSTEP code), the App Store's 30% cut destroying entire categories of software (GoFundMe-style apps, game streaming, creator platforms), strict sandboxing that prevents JIT compilation, plugin systems, inter-app communication, and alternative browser engines. The author also argues Apple's restrictions are blocking AI-powered OS-level experiences on mobile (like Codex or WhisperFlow-style tools), and that Android largely copies Apple's worst policies rather than innovating. The piece ends with a vision of what mobile could look like if Apple honored Steve Jobs' original promise of open, SDK-free web app development. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: --- Tags: [#apple](https://daily.dev/tags/apple), [#mobile](https://daily.dev/tags/mobile), [#ios](https://daily.dev/tags/ios), [#app-store](https://daily.dev/tags/app-store), [#xcode](https://daily.dev/tags/xcode) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/apple-is-holding-us-back--b6pqweahb)