Apple Expected to Open iOS7 Functionality to Developers

Tim Cook revealed that Apple will likely be opening up much of the highly anticipated iOS7 software to 3rd party developers. The Apple CEO hinted during his interview at the All Things D conference that iPhone and iPad app developers can expect to gain deeper access to the core operating systems behind the mobile devices.

The Executive was quoted as saying, “On the general topic of opening up APIs, I think you’ll see us open up more in the future, but not to the degree that we put the customer at risk of having a bad experience. So there’s always a fine line to walk there, or maybe not so fine… We think the customer pays us to make choices on their behalf. I’ve seen some of these settings screens, and I don’t think that’s what customers want.”

The San Diego iPhone app developer community supports Apple’s decision to open up the iOS platform to third party developers. This will benefit the mobile ecosystem by allowing end users to have more control over their mobile expereince and allow developers to create more meaningful apps that unlock are able to unlock even more value from the device.

iPhone and iPad users may be able to finally switch out their default settings to automatically load Google Maps instead of Apple Maps. Siri and Apple’s email apps may be opened up to developers as well. We can expect an official announcement during the WWDC event taking place next month in San Francisco.