iPhones continue to evolve month after month. iOS 17 does not rest: iOS 17.2 brought us the Diary application, iOS 17.3 brought us an improvement in the security of our iPhone in case of theft, and now it is time to look at what could be one of the most important iOS updates in history.
And no, I’m not talking about iOS 18. Ironically, I’m talking about iOS 17.4, which may be the first version of iOS to be available. accept downloading and installation of apps beyond the App Store. And this, for Apple and for us, is a historic step.
Europe is clear: on March 6 the App Store must open its walls
You just have to look at the facts to understand why we think that iOS 17.4 will be the version that allows this big change. The European Union Digital Markets Act set a deadline of March 6 so that iPhones allow apps to be installed from other places and not just from the App Store.
There’s just over a month left until that day arrives, and This is exactly what a succession of beta versions needs for a new version of iOS 17. In fact, we could see the first beta of iOS 17.4 before the end of this week. This is when developers will be able to find out if any apps can be installed.
It could also be that there is no trace of this in the betas, and that Apple is simply adding this option right before releasing the stable version. But no matter how you do it, you should do it in a few weeks. It will be interesting to see what protection measures against external applications will be: the Wall Street Journal stated that we will continue to see commissions and reviews from Applewe will therefore have to see what the scenario will look like after the change.
Alternative App Stores are also waiting
Recall that this change can mean not only the possibility of installing applications directly from the websites of their developers: there are alternative stores who are looking to be able to share space with the App Store on our iPhones.
Microsoft has already expressed its desire to do so, Setapp seems to be preparing for it and I wouldn’t be surprised to see stores like the Epic Games Store and Steam take a similar step. If this happens, the number of apps and games we could see on iOS could be greater than we can imagine.
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