If there has been one constant in the Apple ecosystem -- at least since the iPhone 3G was released in July 2008 -- it's that you've had to load your apps from the App Store. Apple has had full approval of all apps, and has taken a chunk of the revenue. As Apple's mobile ecosystem has evolved, that walled garden has extended to the iPad, the Apple Watch, and now the Vision Pro.

That's changing for European users. Courtesy of the EU's Digital Markets Act, Apple has been required to allow sideloading of apps outside of its App Store. Effective as of iOS 17.5 Beta 2, that capability is now available to European iPhone users.

Also: Apple Vision Pro: Price, features, hands-on insights, and everything you need to know

As it turns out, there's another way to load apps onto the iPhone without going through the App Store. It's called TestFlight, and it's designed to help developers share beta software and demos without having a product that's finished enough to make it through App Store vetting.

For a product as new as the Vision Pro, something like TestFlight is doubly important. Developers need a way for prospective users to beta test their apps, especially in the unique mixed environments supported by VisionOS.

For example, before Disney and Marvel introduced their What