Apple iOS 17.4 is finally here, with game-changing features that will change your iPhone forever. The iOS 17.4 update comes with several new features, such as improvements to protection against stolen devices and emoji.
But for iPhone users in the EU, the implications of iOS 17.4 are even greater. The newly launched iOS 17.4 update includes seismic changes to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), allowing sideloading on iPhones for the first time ever.
Apple iOS 17.4 is finally here, with game-changing features that will transform your iPhone … [+]
Now that iOS 17.4 is here, here’s what you need to know.
iOS 17.4 includes a major update to protect against stolen devices
First released in iOS 17.3, Stolen Device Protection is a brilliant new security feature for your iPhone, helping to stop thieves in their tracks. If your device is stolen, it means criminals can’t get their hands on your data because it requires you to authenticate with Face ID and Touch ID to access apps and turn off lost mode.
In iOS 17.4, Apple takes this great new feature one step further. Previously, you had to authenticate via biometrics to change important settings like your Apple ID when you were in unfamiliar locations. In iOS 17.4, you can change this setting to be enabled anywhere.
Jake Moore, Global Cyber Security Consultant at ESET is a big fan of Stolen Device Protection. “Apple has finally bowed to pressure from police forces around the world who have firmly put the onus back on the iPhone maker to build these expensive devices with the right layer of protection. This minimizes the ease with which iPhones have been stolen in the past.”
Turning “Require Security Delay” to “Always” further prevents anyone who knows the passcode from changing vital parts of the iPhone or viewing sensitive material, Moore adds.
As Moore points out, Apple doesn’t include this feature by default, you have to activate it manually. Go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode to turn on protection and set the security delay to always.
iOS 17.4 includes a bunch of new features and updates.
Apple iOS 17.4 enables sideloading of apps for EU users
One of the biggest changes in iOS 17.4 is the ability to sideload apps through alternative markets. Apple isn’t happy with this change in iOS 17.4—which it had to implement to comply with EU regulations before March 6—and the iPhone maker has been very vocal about its security impact.
Security researchers agree, and Promon recently issued a report covering the dangers of opening up the iOS ecosystem.
Apple continues to protect users by notarizing apps and checking the app markets it allows on iOS. However, the move makes it important to check what you download more carefully, acting more like a Google Android user.
Until now, strict requirements for apps distributed through the App Store have protected users from downloading harmful content, says Rob Mason, chief technology officer, Applause. In iOS 17.4, he says, the company “won’t have the same control over apps available elsewhere, leaving users at risk.”
Other iOS 17.4 features you need to know
Initially, Apple said it was dropping support for web apps on the Home screen in iOS 17.4 to comply with DMA. However, the iPhone maker has now made a U-turn on the move, which will be welcomed by many users in the EU.
The iOS 17.4 update comes with a bunch of other cool new features including an iMessage security update, Apple Podcasts transcripts, and more.
Apple iOS 17.4 also comes with security updates, which I will discuss in another article.
To download and install iOS 17.4, go to iPhone Settings > General > Software Update and download and install iOS 17.4 now.