Apple rolling out iOS 17.4 with EU changes, emojis, podcast transcripts and fixes

Apple is today rolling out iOS 17.4 for iPhones and it brings new EU-specific changes in the iOS ecosystem including the App Store for European iPhone users but there’s more in this build for global users.

This new release means that all iPhone users can download iOS 17.4 without participating in the beta activity. To download, open Settings > visit General, then tap on Software update and follow the on-screen instructions.

EU:

iOS 17.4 marks a major shift in Apple’s software ecosystem policy for European users including app sideloading. The new build allows iPhone users to download applications from sources other than the App Store which will still be restricted for global users.

Other addition for the EU includes third-party app marketplace support for iOS. The phone users can now set default web browsers and developers can also develop new browsers for iPhones.

The European banking system and payment operators can now launch apps with the tap-to-pay system using the NFC capability.

Transcripts:

iOS 17.4 brings a new transcripts feature for the Apple Podcasts app which enables users to read the full text of an episode, search for a specific word or phrase, and tap on the text to play the podcast from that point in the episode.

During the playback, the app will highlight each word to simplify follow-up. With this release, Podcasts will be available in English, French, Spanish, and German language on iPhone and iPad devices.

Transcripts will be available for newly released episodes and previously released episodes will be transcripted gradually.

Emojis

This new iOS carries a new mushroom, phoenix, line, broken chain, and shaking heads emoji in the emoji keyboard. There are 18 people and body emji added the option to face them in either direction.

Fixes:

Other than additions, the software fixes some issues in contact where pictures are blank in Find My service. Another fix is applied for Dual SIM where the phone number changes from primary to secondary and it is visible to a group they have messaged.

To revise, the changelog doesn’t mention EU-specific changes and it’s only available for European iPhone users.