Like a bolt from the blue, Apple announced a lot of big changes for your iPhone, iOS and the App Store last night. iPhoned lists everything you need to know.
Apple bows to pressure from the EU
We secretly knew that changes were coming. From March the Digital Markets Act (DMA) of the EU, a law that should ensure that so-called ‘gatekeepers’ do not have too much power. Such a gatekeeper is, for example, Google with its search engine, but also Apple with its App Store, or with its closed NFC chip for Apple Pay.
Together with the first beta of iOS 17.4, Apple has now announced what major changes the iPhone and everything around it will soon receive. By March 6, companies must comply with the DMA, so until then, iOS 17.4 will be out with all the features and limitations mentioned in this article. There is a lot to tell, but we will take you step by step.
Alternative App Stores: Yes, sideloading: it’s complicated
Third-party app stores in addition to the App Store
With iOS 17.4, Apple is allowing other app stores besides the App Store for the first time – one of the key points of the DMA. However, it is your choice whether you want to use these third-party app stores at all. If so, you’ll need to activate it in Settings first before third-party stores can be installed and the apps offered there can be downloaded. There’s also a new setting to select your default app store. All this was previously unthinkable on iPhones without jailbreak. There is also support for game streaming services such as Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus and GeForce New
Sideloading in iOS 17.4?
Completely free sideloading isn’t planned, nor will it be possible to simply download individual apps directly from a website. According to Apple, this is currently still under investigation. The European Commission will likely scrutinize Apple’s submitted plan and possibly push for further changes.
Apple remains in control
At the same time, Apple maintains control over third-party app stores: providers must obtain special permission from the iPhone manufacturer and prove that they can meet legal requirements and minimum security and privacy standards. You can ultimately download such an alternative app store directly to the iPhone from the relevant provider.
However, developers must still submit their apps to Apple for review and can indicate whether the app should appear in other app stores. This can be done in parallel or as an alternative to Apple’s trusted App Store. Users can only install an app from one source and cannot use different versions of an app from different app stores side by side.
Notarization and malware control
For apps in third-party app stores, Apple relies, as previously expected, on its notarization model from macOS. All apps must be signed by the developer with a valid Apple Certificate and then submitted to Apple for verification. There, they undergo an automated malware check and a basic check conducted by company employees, Apple said. However, the company does not want to intervene substantively. Therefore, apps with, for example, emulators or pornographic content will be possible in the future via third-party app stores. Just like with the Mac, Apple also has the option to revoke certificates and thus block the opening of malware apps, for example.
Apps offered in third-party stores do support the usual iOS security features. This means that they run in a sandbox and are therefore largely isolated from the rest of the system. You must also first give permission for access to things such as location, microphone, camera and other data. Parental control features associated with Apple’s payment interface, such as authorizing purchases or blocking in-app purchases, do not work in apps downloaded outside the App Store. The same goes for Family Sharing. This does not include apps from third-party app stores.
Real browsers in iOS
Until now, all iOS browsers had to use Apple’s WebKit engine, including Firefox and Chrome. In fact, those browsers were more of a skin for Apple’s Safari, with or with additional functions such as synchronization.
This is also changing! Browser manufacturers are allowed to bring their own engines to iOS. Companies such as Mozilla (from Firefox) and Google have already prepared for this. When you first open Apple’s Safari browser in iOS 17.4, you’ll be presented with a drop-down menu that lets you choose an alternate default browser.
NFC chip opened to everyone
In the future, developers will be able to submit requests to Apple if they need specific access to hardware or software features. What this means in concrete terms remains to be seen. In theory, this would allow other smartwatch makers to offer better integration with iOS – perhaps even as good as the Apple Watch integration. As previously announced, Apple is also opening up the iPhone’s NFC chip to other payment services such as Google Pay.
Only in the EU and on iPhone
All mentioned changes only apply in the 27 EU countries and only for iOS 17.4 on the iPhone – so not yet for iPads with iPadOS 17.4. Only one change in the App Store applies to all Apple operating systems. For example, app providers may in the future build in their own payment system for in-app purchases or place a link to their own website. Apple’s payment system is therefore no longer a requirement. Strangely enough, however, the company will still charge a commission, so in that sense there is no added value for Netflix and Spotify to integrate their own payment method into apps.
What do you think of all the changes Apple has announced? Let us know in the comments.