iOS 17 is just around the corner, and Apple engineers have to work hard to get most of the new features ready for early developer betas. A few hours ago, a new discovery in iOS 16.2 code which reveals that Apple is working on a way to limit or restrict functionality based on region where we meet It could make sense with the arrival of third-party stores in iOS and iPadOS 17 due to compliance with the European Union’s DMA law.
Apple prepares for the arrival of third-party stores
There are currently iOS and iPadOS features that are limited in some countries. One such example is the FaceTime service which is not available in the United Arab Emirates. These limitations are imposed by local laws and Apple is required to comply with them. They are fulfilled by means of the hardware itself and its origin or by linking the device to a specific region.
However, these are still methods farragosos and we discovered that Apple is working on a new system for limiting or restricting functions. This was discovered by the folks at 9to5mac in iOS 16.2 code. This new technology, to call it in a way, is called “countryand is able to collect GPS information, Wi-Fi router country code and SIM information.
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The mixture of all this data allows Apple infer the location of the device. Therefore, iOS and iPadOS may deploy or restrict certain features prohibited or restricted by local law. That way, when that hardware moves to another location, that data will be collected again and the restrictions will be opened, leaving all those functions available that weren’t available before.
This new option allows Apple to prepare for the arrival of third-party app stores comply with European Union regulations. with this possibility They would only allow installation of third-party stores in the European Union, leaving the rest of the world without this option. Only hardware that was in a country of the European Union would have access to these functions and the rest would have limited access thanks to this new “countryd” option.