A hot potato: Tim Cook has poured more fuel into the Apple vs. Android debate by claiming Google's OS has 47 times more malware than Cueprtino's, primarily because of how difficult iOS makes sideloading apps. He added that if Apple was forced to allow the practice, it would destroy the security of the iPhone.

Speaking to Guillaume Lacroix, CEO and founder of media company Brut, Cook reiterated Apple's focus on user privacy. "We've been focused on privacy for over a decade. We see it as a basic human right. A fundamental human right," the Apple boss said.

Cook also spoke about the Digital Markets Act (DMA) being proposed by the European Commission, including parts he claimed are "not in the best interests of the user."

"The current DMA language that is being discussed would force sideloading on the iPhone," he said. "That would destroy the security of the iPhone and a lot of the privacy initiatives that we've built into the App Store, where we have privacy nutrition labels and App Tracking Transparency where it forces people to get permission to track across apps."

"These things would not exist anymore except in people that stuck in our ecosystem, and so I worry deeply about privacy and security."

Cook added that Android devices are responsible for 47 times more malware infections than iOS. He's likely referring to this 2019 report from Nokia, but an updated 2020 version shows malware detection on Android fell to 26.6% while the iPhone rose from 1% to 1.6%.

"It's because we've designed iOS in such a way that there's one App Store and all the apps are reviewed prior to going on the store," Cook elaborated.

While it's true that we've seen many malware-infected apps sneak onto the Play Store, Apple's store isn't perfect. A recent report showed that almost 2% of the 1,000 top-grossing iPhone apps are scams, and there was the case of an iPhone user losing $600,000 after downloading a scam Bitcoin app from the App Store.

All phone users are warned of the dangers of downloading apps outside of their official stores. Google does make it easy by using the install "unknown apps" option, and while the same thing is possible on iPhones, it requires a lot more work, such as jailbreaking or using developer tools.

Elsewhere in the interview, Cook hinted that the Apple Car was still in development. "In terms of a car," the CEO said, "I've gotta keep secrets, and there always has to be something up our sleeve." He also suggested that reports of a future Apple Watch with a constant, non-invasive blood glucose monitoring feature are accurate.

h/t: Android Authority