>today you have the ability to install facebook with app store restrictions on iOS and without on Android

You have a third choice: don't install facebook at all.

You see how that's worse right? Either give up your privacy or don't use FB. On iOS you can have both.

> On iOS you can have both.

No, you can't. You can have some protections against the most egregious overreaches, but if you're concerned about privacy you shouldn't be on Facebook, ever, on any platform.

Aside from that, there's no way Facebook will remove themselves from the app store. Apple isn't going to make sideloading easy enough for the average Facebook user.

    No, you can't.
    And if you could, the protections aren't that good.
    And if they were, it's not going to happen anyway.
    And if it does, that's Apple's fault for making it too easy.
    And even so, you deserve it anyway for using Facebook.

I don't think is the argument you think it is. It's basically "nuh-uh" while agreeing with all the arguments in favor no sideloading along the way.

Facebook has 2.95 billion MAUs and 73% of the entire US population actively use it, 93% of businesses are on it -- "just don't use Facebook" is a woefully out of touch take. And this is only Facebook and doesn't include IG and WhatsApp.

That 73% number sounds fudged. I’m sure they have some justification, but they’re proven liars.

> "just don't use Facebook" is a woefully out of touch take

It's worked for me so far, and we're way past peak Facebook, so I don't see myself needing to use it in the future. Businesses still have phone numbers, and none of my friends or family are active on any Meta platform. I really don't think it's the pillar of society that you seem to think it is.

you have zero privacy on Facebook.

If you care about privacy you wouldn't be using Facebook on any platform.

Your confused on hows removing your privacy in this example though. The recent-ish changes to iOS protects your privacy from FB. So, yeah, your choice is use FB or don't. It has always been this way. The app store is not the bad guy in the FB conversation.

You can also do it the same way I use Facebook on my desktop without install an app that gives up my privacy. Open up my browser and type in www dot facebook dot com. You'll get all the privacy protection that Safari on The App Store gives you. I think they even have a PWA now if you really want an icon to make it easier.

I would say you can also use Apple's favorite excuse: use the browser.

Play has restrictions they are just less strict than the App Store. Similarly on iOS if people are choosing iOS for this vetting then it follows Facebook would not be able to migrate to being a 3rd party app just because the option is there. All else being equal it's actually quite hard to get most users to use anything but the default store anyways, as is seen on Android.

It's the OS that ensures privacy, security and sandboxing, not the App Store.

On some things but not others. E.g. OS protections don't limit against things like "Displaying targeted advertisements in your app based on user data collected from apps and websites owned by other companies." as it's not something the OS can really know is happening, just that there are ads being loaded.

The OS can control the data the app has access to for fingerprinting, with enough restrictions apps like Facebook would still have to rely on guesswork to do so

The OS can only stop fingerprinting of the hardware while the app is generating a fingerprint of the user. The latter is more valuable anyways since most users use more than 1 device and change those devices over time.

You can't solve a behavior problem with OS controls. It's not about what bits on the device are readable it's about what happens with the identity information shared with 3rd parties.