IOS 17.4 Is a Huge Change for IPhone, but Only If You Live in the EU

Apple released its latest iPhone update, iOS 17.4, on Tuesday, March 5th. While it may not be a flagship release like iOS 17.0 , iOS 17.4 is actually one of the most revolutionary iOS updates ever . Unfortunately, the truly large-scale changes only affect those living in the EU (at least for now). But the rest of us will also find plenty of interesting new features.

Alternative App Stores (EU only)

One of the biggest news in iOS 17.4 is the introduction of support for alternative app stores. This is a big point of contention in the EU. The European Union has ordered Apple to open up iOS to allow third-party app stores in addition to Apple’s own App Store. The idea is to encourage competition in the market, as the government argues that Apple currently has a monopoly on the apps it allows to be sold and downloaded on iPhones.

This does not mean that any app can be created and sold via iOS in the EU after iOS 17.4 is released. To be approved, any app store built for iOS must adhere to Apple’s rules checklist. Additionally, while developers now have the choice of whether to sell their apps through Apple’s stores or through third-party services, their apps will always have to undergo similar security checks.

My guess is that many developers will choose the third-party route as they will be able to avoid the high percentage fees that Apple charges for apps sold through their official App Store. However, even third-party stores will still have a “Core Technology Fee”, which will charge half a million per download per account once the app reaches one million downloads. However, if you decide to list your app on the Apple store, their share will drop from 30% to 17% and the subscription fee will drop from 15% to 10%.

As a user, you’ll be able to set a default app store so iOS knows where you want to download most of your apps in the future.

Use any browser you want (EU only)

Apple’s default browser for iOS is Safari. If you want to use a different browser, such as Chrome or Firefox, you can download it from the App Store, just like on a Mac. However, the key difference is that on iOS, all web browsers must be built on top of WebKit, Safari’s underlying platform. While third-party browsers may offer slightly different features or allow you to sync certain data with their desktop counterparts, all browsers on iOS are essentially Safari in disguise.

The situation is also changing, at least in the EU. Starting with iOS 17.4, European iPhone users will be able to download third-party browsers not built with WebKit. Google may offer the same Chrome browser as Android, as well as Firefox. What’s more, Apple will let you choose from a variety of different third-party browsers to use as the default, including options like Firefox, Opera, Chrome, Brave, and Microsoft Edge.

NFC payments open to third parties (EU only)

Additionally, third parties, including apps, can take advantage of NFC payments on iOS without using Apple Pay . Users will be able to choose which app they want to use for NFC payments.

Apple doesn’t want these features coming to the US

To be clear, Apple is unhappy with these EU-mandated changes, saying they leave Apple users and devices vulnerable. The company wants these changes to be limited to the EU, but it doesn’t look like that will last forever. The cat is out of the bag, and whether it’s caused by government or market forces, Apple will likely have to open up its platform in a similar way around the world over the next few years.

118 new emoticons

Finally, we get to the new features that all of us can use in iOS 17.4, including what everyone loves: the new emoji. This new update adds support for emoji from Unicode 15.1 , bringing 118 new icons to your iPhone. There’s a shaking head, a nodding head, a phoenix, a lime, a new mushroom, a broken chain, as well as new people emojis, including a man in a manual wheelchair, a man in a motorized wheelchair, and a man with a white cane.

Apple Podcasts

Apple’s other flagship iOS 17.4 update outside the EU concerns Apple Podcasts, specifically with the introduction of transcripts . Transcripts not only allow you to read the entire podcast episode if you can’t listen, they’re interactive: you can click on a specific word to jump to that part of the podcast (similar to how playing text jumps to that point in a song in Apple Music), and you can search for words or phrases just like any other text file. It works with accessibility features like text size, contrast enhancement, and VoiceOver, and is available starting with podcasts in English, French, Spanish, and German. New episodes will be transcribed shortly after publication, and Apple plans to transcribe previous episodes overtime.

Music recognition is more useful

When you use iOS’s music recognition feature (powered by Shazam), you’ll now be able to add those songs to Apple Music playlists and your library, in addition to Apple Music Classical. This is much more convenient than adding these songs manually, especially if you tend to pick up new music when you’re on the go.

New option to always require a security delay to protect against stolen devices.

If Stolen Device Protection is enabled, there is a delay before you can change your security settings while you are away from known locations, such as your home. In iOS 17.4 , Apple added a new toggle that always causes this delay, even when iOS detects that you are in a safe location.

New battery status data

In Settings > Battery > Battery Health, you will now see the number of battery cycles, the date the battery was manufactured, and the date the battery was first used if you have an iPhone 15 model. Why can’t these options appear on iPhone 14 and older, it’s not clear to me, but it’s a good step for battery transparency.

Apple Cash virtual card number

Great news for anyone who uses Apple Cash: iOS 17.4 now assigns a virtual number to your Apple Cash card . This way, you’ll be able to use your rewards at stores that don’t accept Apple Pay, whether online or in person.

Various functions

Finally, here are a few interesting features that aren’t major changes but are nonetheless worth checking out:

• Siri has a new ability to announce messages you receive in any supported language.

• Call ID displays your Apple-verified company name, logo, and department name, if available.

• Business updates in Messages for Business provide reliable information about order status, flight notifications, fraud alerts or other transactions you agree to.

Bug fixes and security fixes

All iOS updates contain bug fixes and bug fixes. Here are the ones Apple listed in the iOS 17.4 release notes:

• Fixed an issue where contact images in Find My were blank.

• Fixed an issue for dual SIM users where the phone number would change from primary to secondary and be visible to the group they sent the message to.

Apple hasn’t published security notes for iOS 17.4 yet, but when they do, I’ll update this piece.

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