Apple has made the first public betas of iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 available today, allowing anyone to download and try the newest version of Apple"s software prior to general availability. The public release follows the release to developers a week ago, and can be accessed by enabling Beta Updates within Settings -> Software Update on any compatible iOS or iPadOS device.
The key change within this beta is the addition of changes for users within the European Union to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) which will come into force starting from 7th March 2024. These changes which Apple announced last week, include support for alternative app stores and payment options outside of the App Store and Apple Pay respectively only for iOS and iPadOS users in the EU.
Apple"s changes to comply with the DMA have come under fire by rivals such as Spotify and Microsoft, saying that they are "vague and misleading" and that it is "in the wrong direction." Additionally, Epic Games have taken no time to take shots at Apple during its announcement of the Epic Games Store on iOS, where it will be bringing Fortnite back to the platform.
Additionally it"s been reported by MacRumors that the first beta of iOS 17.4 has been re-released to developers with a new build number to match that of the public beta. Presumably the initial release to developers didn"t include the changes made to comply with the EU legislation, which have been added between that build and the current one.
Other additions to the beta include new emojis, transcription for Podcasts, support for game streaming apps such as Xbox Cloud Gaming, and updates working towards the next generation of CarPlay which is set to launch in the U.S. later this year. It isn"t known when the update is expected to release at this time.
Source: MacRumors