iOS 17.4: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW!

Apple has officially released iOS 17.4 for the iPhone Xs and all newer iPhones, introducing some massive changes for Europe in particular but also several other changes in general.

For EU users, apps can now be downloaded from other stores and browsers can now finally use engines other than Apple WebKit. All users will receive a number of changes in the form of bug fixes and improvements.

iOS 17.4 has arrived and can now be downloaded and installed in the system settings under General --> Software Update. The 1.74 GB patch mainly introduces changes prescribed by the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). Firstly, apps can now also be distributed outside of the App Store in the EU. Therefore, the Epic Games Store, among others, will soon be available on the iPhone, which means that Fortnite will also return to iOS.

Browsers such as Google Chrome can now use their own browser engines (such as Chromium) instead of having to depend on Apple WebKit as before. Developers now have the option of making payments in apps via service providers such as PayPal instead of only via the App Store. These changes mean that Apple has significantly less control over what software can be offered on the iPhone, meaning that apps such as Xbox Game Pass may also be available on the iPhone in the future in the EU.

Additionally, to the changes given by the DMA, iOS 17.4 also contains new features, including 18 new emoji and transcripts (some for of subtitles) in the Podcasts app. Songs recognized by Shazam can now be added directly to a playlist.

Anyone using an iPhone 15 or an iPhone 15 Pro can check the charging cycles and production date of the battery directly in the system settings under 'Battery'. The patch also contains numerous bug fixes.

In conclusion, iOS 17.4 is definitely a great update all around and has MANY amazing things to offer that have been highly requested for by the users for years.