Apple Defends App Store While Quietly Allowing Workarounds

Apple Inc. says an antitrust bill aimed at cracking open the app-store market will make iPhones less secure — even though Congress and some large firms already have Apple-approved tools that let them bypass the App Store.

Although Apple says it’s the only company that can offer a secure App Store, the iPhone maker has long allowed members of Congress and large firms to bypass its strict controls and use alternatives to install third-party apps. The practice isn’t widely known, and is at odds with Apple’s opposition to the bill designed to break its mobile app-store duopoly with Alphabet Inc.’s Google. …