As announced for months, with the iOS 17.4 update available at the time of writing (and soon iPadOS and tvOS), the iPhone/iPad ecosystem will experience its biggest upheaval in 2024 since the launch of the App Store in 2008. We list below the main changes, established in order to comply with the new European legislation DMA (Digital Markets Act) which requires more openness to avoid anti-competitive abuses.
iOS 17.4, list of major changes linked to the European DMA££££
• Alternatives to the App Store: possibility of installing new online stores and downloading applications there which do not necessarily respect Apple's rules . Developers can choose alternative payment methods, reducing the percentage paid to Apple • Access to the NFC chip: direct payments via NFC with the iPhone were previously reserved for the Apple Pay application. In the 27 countries of the European Union, including France, third-party payment applications can also be used on iPhone to make direct purchases
• Alternative browsers: Safari is no longer the internet browsing application by default. Users can choose another default app, including Firefox, Opera, Chrome, Brave and Microsoft Edge
Cloud Gaming apps coming to iOS, iPadOS and tvOS££££
Also note, another important change which not only affects Europe but also the whole world, the possibility given to Cloud Gaming services (such as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and GeForce Now) to be installed on iPhone or iPad via dedicated applications. Remember that Apple has until now refused to allow such services to be available on its AppStore, forcing providers to circumvent the ban by using an internet browser.
