Apple officially released iOS 17.4 on Tuesday (3/5), following the regulations of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). This version of iOS marks the first time Apple has opened up its ecosystem to third-party app stores, third-party browser engines, and third-party payment mechanisms. However, these provisions only apply to the European Union market, and Apple has not extended these services to other markets.
The Digital Markets Act primarily imposes additional responsibilities and obligations on six major tech companies: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and ByteDance. These companies, referred to as gatekeepers, are expected to provide a fairer business environment for European businesses, prevent the stifling of local startups, and offer better services and more choices for EU consumers. The deadline for compliance with these regulations was set for March 6th of this year.
With the introduction of iOS 17.4, EU users will be able to download iOS apps from marketplaces other than the App Store. When opening Safari browser for the first time on iOS, users will encounter a new selection screen featuring over ten different browsers, including Microsoft Edge, Brave, DuckDuckGo, Opera, Firefox, and Chrome. This allows users to choose their preferred default browser on their devices. Additionally, third-party payment options will be supported within apps.
However, while EU users can download third-party app stores on their iPhones, Apple clarifies that if they leave the EU for an extended period, they may no longer be able to install new third-party app stores. Previously downloaded apps from third-party stores will also lose the ability to receive updates. Apple has not specified the exact duration constituting “too long” outside the EU.
For iOS users worldwide, iOS 17.4 includes some functional improvements. Apple Podcasts, for example, will now offer captions, currently supporting English, French, Spanish, and German podcast captions. According to Apple’s plans, captions will be available shortly after new podcast episodes are released, allowing users to search within captions. However, translation capabilities are not yet available in this stage.
Furthermore, Apple has addressed four security vulnerabilities in iOS 17.4 and the corresponding iPadOS 17.4. These include a location information leak vulnerability (CVE-2024-23243) in the Accessibility feature, a memory corruption vulnerability (CVE-2024-23225) in the kernel, a memory corruption vulnerability (CVE-2024-23296) in RTKit, and an information leak vulnerability (CVE-2024-23256) in Safari’s private browsing mode.