iOS 17.4 isavailable since March 5. Here are several points behind why this is a very special iPhone update.
The origin: Apple bends its back
Why is this update to iOS 17.4 historic? The first reason gives rise to the other three.
Apple has decided to open itself more to competition. The company now lets publishers offeralternative services to those previously imposed by the Apple firm on its mobile operating system. If this reversal is so important, it is because it was induced by the European Commission. The latter, particularly within the framework of the DMA (Digital Markets Act), wants the tech giants to make an effort to encourage competition. A debate known asantitrust, in the language of Shakespeare.
However, you should know that although Apple probably avoided one of the largest fines in its history here, all is not rosy. So, although Tim Cook's company effectively limits its behavior sometimes considered anti-competitive on the Old Continent, this is not the case everywhere! Indeed, we have just learned from a reliable source that third-party app stores will, for example, be inoperable if you spend too much time outside the Europe of twenty-seven…
Concretely: the three other changes to remember
You can install a third-party app store
Third-party app stores, in concrete terms, are nothing more and nothing less than alternatives to the App Store or the Google Play Store. Alphabet, however, has not specified whether its own solution would also see the light of day on iOS, for the moment. However, we know that the publishers MacPaw and Mobivention have already announced that their platforms of this kind will see the light of day shortly.
Installing an application without going through the App Store, Apple calls this practice ofsideloading. In principle, nothing more innocent so far. But for the American company, this operation presents some significant risks. For example, here we bypass the App Store verification process which consists of scanning updates submitted by third-party developers, looking for potential malware.
With this, remember that Apple generally charges no less than30 %commission on each in-app purchase. In other words, the expenses you make from an iOS app also pay the Apple company. By going through third-party virtual stores, developers can, in theory, free themselves from this “tax” or even benefit from a more attractive rate from the competition.
WebKit is no longer mandatory for publishers
Third new feature: the possibility, for creators of third-party browsers, to use the rendering engine of their choice for their iPhone apps.
Until now, Apple imposed its own solution: WebKit. The latter therefore powers not only the proprietary browser Safari, but also, on iOS, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or even Opera and the new kidArc Search.
Say Hello to Video Game Streaming
Finally, let us point out that Apple also allows streaming of video games. Nothing very different from a third-party app store, you might say: here, we are simply talking about a specificity particularly appreciated by the gaming sector. Llong banned until now, these connected game libraries notably recall the value proposition of the famous serviceXbox Cloud Gaming. The latter still managed to find its way to the Safari browser.
We don't know if Shadow will follow suit, yet.
We will have to wait
Finally, let's add that although all of these different changes are available when iOS 17.4 is released, you will still have to wait a little for third-party developers to get up to speed. MacPaw, for example, announced that the alternative to the App Store “Setapp” would be available inavril, in beta version first of all. ForMobivention, the schedule seems more advanced thanks to close collaboration with Apple.
We don't yet know if Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome will move to WebKit, instead of Quantum and Chromium, respectively.
- App Store alternatives are now allowed
- These will probably be available in the coming days
- Apple also allows browsers to free themselves from WebKit with the update to iOS 17.4
i-nfo.fr - Official iPhon.fr app
By : Keleops AG
