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Post uses EU and Europe interchangeably and they are not the same thing.

Some European countries subscribe to the EU and others don’t.

With the new update, those countries don't have to subscribe to the EU through Apple's App Store anymore.
 
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For those who are in the EU and already updated, where can side loading be disabled? I read here that it can be disabled on devices one controls through the Screen Time functionality, but how can one do it on his/her own device?

I am in the EU and I have an opposite question - where can I actually try side-loading? 😉
 
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Do I need to get an EU iPhone to use the alternative store?
 


Apple today released iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 17 operating system that came out in September 2023. The software updates come over a month after Apple released iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3.


iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

With iOS 17.4, Apple introduces sweeping changes to the way the App Store and apps function in the European Union, paving the way for alternative app marketplaces on iPhone, alternative payment systems on iOS and iPadOS, third-party browser engine support, and NFC access for banks and third-party payment providers. These features are limited to the EU, and the changes are not applicable in other countries.

Apple did, however, make worldwide changes to gaming apps. Apple is now allowing cloud gaming apps like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce NOW. Mini games, chatbots, and plug-ins are also now able to use the in-app purchase system.

In addition to these App Store-related updates, iOS 17.4 adds new emoji characters, transcripts for podcasts in the Podcasts app, Stopwatch Live Activities, improvements to battery health reporting on the iPhone 15 models, and more. Apple's full release notes for the update are below.

Note that Apple's release notes in the United States do not highlight the changes in the European Union, but the update does now allow for alternative app marketplaces to be installed on iPhones in Europe. If you're in Europe and affected by the changes, you will see different release notes that include details on Apple's app ecosystem updates. More information on what's new in iOS 17.4 can be found in our iOS 17.4 features guide.

Article Link: Apple Releases iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 With EU App Changes, New Emoji, Podcast Transcripts and More
As everybody is flaming atm, I got the update right away in Germany.
No more „hey“ before Siri and my 15 Pro Max seems much faster.
 
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Yeah it’s by Apple ID region. I changed mine to US to be able to use the Vision Pro and my iPhone is not showing the EU changes even though everything else is set to Sweden and I'm on a Swedish carrier.
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I updated my 15 Pro Max, then realised some apps are refusing to load because it thinks it's a jailbroken device, and others kept crashing on launch. I forced a restart, it got stuck in a boot loop. Contacted apple support, they said to connect it to a Mac and Update, but Update didn't work, so now I am being forced to do a factory reset/Restore.
What a complete and utter nightmare, this update is a disaster.

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I updated my 15 Pro Max, then realised some apps are refusing to load because it thinks it's a jailbroken device, and others kept crashing on launch. I forced a restart, it got stuck in a boot loop. Contacted apple support, they said to connect it to a Mac and Update, but Update didn't work, so now I am being forced to do a factory reset/Restore.
What a complete and utter nightmare, this update is a disaster.
Why would some apps think your iPhone is jailbroken?
 
I don't know, but all I did was update to iOS 17.4, maybe it has something to do with these App Store changes in EU?
 
Has anyone else downloaded the update here?
Im update with pc😬
And stuck in...

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Why would some apps think your iPhone is jailbroken?

Is your iPhone jailbroken? If not what made you think it has anything to do with jailbreaking?

I haven't done any jailbreaking since iPhone 3G days, I have no idea! All I did was install iOS 17.4 and it completely freaked out. One app I launched refused to saying it's jailbroken. Trying to force the update in Recovery Mode is failing every time and I will have to do a factory reset, it's a complete nightmare :eek:

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I don't know, but all I did was update to iOS 17.4, maybe it has something to do with these App Store changes in EU?

sorry to hear you’re having such problems - it always sucks when an update doesn’t go smoothly!

are you in the EU/one of the countries affected by the new App Store changes? maybe banking/etc apps that check for “jailbroken” devices incorrectly detect the new iOS (with EU changes) as jailbroken? hard to know how a banking app detects “jailbroken”, so probably hard to figure out the exact cause.

i think in the past, jailbreaking would allow normal apps to do things that they aren’t normally allowed to do (like writing to system files). that’s how some apps would detect jailbreaking - if the OS allowed them to (for example) write to system files, then it’s clearly not a ‘stock’ iOS install. I’m sure the EU changes don’t allow you to write to system files, but maybe there’s something else that was ‘illegal’ in older iOS versions that is now allowed in the EU 17.4?

if so, this is an unfortunate side-effect of the new EU rules. presumably (eventually), banking/etc apps will be updated to recognize the new iOS.
 
another dumb question
The EU DMA thing is just for iOS and not for iPadOS?
 
For those who are in the EU and already updated, where can side loading be disabled?
Apple did not adopt sideloading as their EU solution. Limited sideloading is still available via TestFlight and Xcode.
Apple's solution for the EU is alternative App Stores. Don't download and create an account with an alternative App Store and then you won't be able to use it.
 
Odd that iOS was updated but watchOS wasn't. This would suggest the new emoji are currently visible on my phone, but not on my Apple Watch. I haven't actually tested this theory yet, but that's what I would assume.
 
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