Rumor has it that Apple will finally lay the groundwork for enabling sideloading of apps with iOS 17. But don’t celebrate just yet: the feature may be exclusive to iPhone users in Europe.
This is according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman who revealed several new details about iOS 17 in the latest MacRumors View (Opens in a new tab) Podcast. Gorman said he expects sideloading to be a Europe-only feature to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. This historic restart of the EU’s digital rulebook, which comes into force in 2024, forces major tech companies to give users the option to download apps from third-party sources.
This will be the first time that iPhone users will be able to download apps hosted outside of the Apple App Store. Gorman said that developers who make their services available on a third-party app store may incur additional fees to receive verification from Apple. The company is expected to downplay the new iOS 17 sideloading feature by not announcing it at WWDC 2023 in June.
Gorman noted that Apple did the same tactic last year, when it complied with similar regulatory changes in the Netherlands without any fanfare outside the scope of the company’s blog. (Opens in a new tab). Dating app developers in the country now have more flexibility about which payment system they use, although Apple still takes a cut even if users go through a third-party payments service.
What else to expect with iOS 17
Besides sideloading, iOS 17 will focus on improving core Apple system apps, Gorman said. This includes a “big push” on the site – and related Find My features as well as an improvement to the Wallet app user interface. No revolutionary changes, though, so overall it seems like a fairly minor update.
In the past, Gurman has said that Apple deprioritized iOS 17 features rather than getting the highly anticipated VR/AR headset along with its accompanying xrOS software.
However, this supports speculation that iOS 17 will finally give iPhone users a level of customization similar to that of Android devices. A previous rumor suggested that the update would include a long-awaited redesign of the iPhone Control Center. According to another leak, drastic changes to the user interface and customization options are on the way. This includes more always-on display settings, more focus mode filters, additional notification changes, and custom accessibility settings.
It is not clear what devices Apple will support with iOS 17. The company has dropped the iPhone 7 from the list of iPhones that can install iOS 16. This time around, the six-year-old iPhone 8 or iPhone X could be on the chopping block.
We’ll likely have to wait until WWDC 2023 in June to hear more details about what will change with iOS 17.
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