Apple released iOS 17.5 to the general public on Monday, but don’t forget to check out all the new features the tech giant included in iOS 17.4. That update was released almost two months ago, on March 5, and brought important changes for people in the European Union, new emojis, and important bug fixes for your iPhone.
Apple subsequently released iOS 17.4.1 on March 21, which fixed a couple of zero-day vulnerabilities in its iPhone but did not include any new features.
Downloading from other app stores in the EU
Apple introduced a significant change to Safari, App Store, and iOS with iOS 17.4, but only for people in Europe. With iOS 17.4, people in the EU can download an alternative app store and apps from outside the App Store. As Keynote USA’s Katie Collins reports, this marks one of the biggest changes to the App Store since its creation in 2008. People in the EU will also receive new default app controls, giving them more ways to personalize their iPhone experience.
Apple made these changes, announced in January, to comply with the EU Digital Markets Act.
Read more: Apple will allow rival app stores to be installed on iPhones in Europe
More options for in-app payments
Apple introduced more ways to make in-app payments with iOS 17.4. If you go to Settings > Privacy and security you will see an option called Contactless and NFC, or near field communication. If you tap the new option, you’ll be taken to a mostly blank page that has a small disclaimer saying that the page will show apps that have requested the ability to use contactless and NFC payments in the future. Apple announced these options along with the changes for people in the EU, and it is unknown if they will be used by apps outside that region.
At least 100 new emoji
Some of the new emoji in iOS 17.4 include a phoenix, a lime slice, and broken chains.
Apple introduced more than 100 new emojis to iPhone users with iOS 17.4. Those emoji include heads moving up and down or left and right, a phoenix, and a slice of lime. These emojis were announced in 2023 and some Android devices, including the latest Samsung phones, already have them.
Improved iMessage security against future threats
With iOS 17.4, your iMessage chats get a security boost to protect them from cyber attacks involving quantum computing. According to Keynote USA’s David Lumb, Apple said it hasn’t seen these types of cyberattacks yet, but the company wants to get ahead of the potential threat now.
Read more: Apple’s next iOS update protects iMessage against future quantum computing attacks
Podcasts can now show transcripts
In iOS 17.4, you can read transcripts of your favorite podcasts while listening to them. To view transcripts, enter the Podcasts app and start listening to a show, then tap the media player at the bottom of the screen. There’s a new button in the bottom left corner of the screen that looks like a speech bubble with quotes inside. Tap this button and you will see the transcript of the program you are listening to.
You can also search within the transcript, so if someone mentions the title of a book or movie and you only remember part of it, you can search for the part you do know and find the full title.
Read more: What you should know about podcast transcriptions in iOS 17.4
Virtual card numbers come to Apple Cash
Your Apple Cash is also updated with iOS 17.4. You can now see virtual card numbers for your Apple Cash, allowing you to shop at online stores that don’t accept Apple Pay. This card comes with its number, expiration date, and three-digit security code, just like a physical card. You can also easily request a new card number if you believe your card has been compromised.
Read more: How to view Apple Cash virtual card numbers
Another digital clock widget
In iOS 17.4, Apple introduced a new digital clock app widget called City Digital. This widget shows the time and a set location instead of where your iPhone is at the moment. This can be useful if you travel or live far away from family and friends, but want to stay in touch without waking them up in the middle of the night.
Apple introduced the digital clock widget to iPhones with the release of iOS 17.2.
More stolen device protection options
Apple introduced some new options in Stolen Device Protection with iOS 17.4. New options let you choose whether to always require a 1-hour security delay to access certain settings or make changes, or only require the delay when you are away from a familiar place like your home.
Apple introduced stolen device protection with iOS 17.3 to protect some of your data if your device is stolen or falls into nefarious hands. The feature doesn’t protect all of your data, but Apple still recommends everyone turn it on.
Read more: How to Improve Your iPhone’s Stolen Device Protection
New battery status reading for iPhone 15 models
With iOS 17.4, iPhone 15 models get a new battery health reading. If you go to Settings > Battery, You’ll see a new option that tells you the health status of your battery in one word, such as Normal or Service. You can also tap this option to get more details about your battery, such as cycle count and maximum capacity. Previously, your iPhone would display a percentage correlated to your battery health without any indication of what it means.
New Home button in the Music and Books apps
Apple introduced a Home button to Apple Music and the Books app with iOS 17.4. If you open any of the apps and look at the bottom of the screen, the Home button is in the far left corner. This button replaced Listen Now in Apple Music and Read Now in Books.
If you’re an Apple Music subscriber and you tap the button, you’ll be taken to a page that shows you menus, like Recently Played, and recommendations based on the artists you’ve listened to. If you tap this button in the Books app, you’ll see menus like Current Bestsellers and Start Reading for Free.
Previous iOS updates brought home buttons to the Podcasts and Apple TV apps, so Apple will likely try to apply some uniformity across all of its apps with this change.
Siri can read messages in multiple languages
In iOS 17.4, Apple gave Siri the ability to read messages in multiple languages. Once enabled, Siri can read messages in languages such as Spanish, Mandarin dialects, and Thai. Apple writes that this will not change the primary language in which Siri listens and responds.
Read more: How to let Siri read messages in more languages
New Apple CarPlay and Maps experience in select vehicles
With iOS 17.4, if you use Apple CarPlay with Maps in certain supported vehicles, you’ll see a new instrument cluster.
“With CarPlay-enabled vehicles, Apple Maps will feature a new instrument cluster experience with information about upcoming maneuvers,” Apple wrote online. “Users will be able to switch the desired display type between the main and instrument cluster screens by tapping the map settings button at the top right of the main Maps screen.”
Apple did not say which vehicles support this new feature and the company did not respond to a request for comment.
Here are the full release notes for iOS 17.4.
emojis
New emoji of mushroom, phoenix, lime, broken chain and shaking heads are now available in emoji keyboard.
18 people and body emoji add the option to look at them in any direction.
Apple Podcasts
Transcripts allow you to follow an episode with text highlighted in sync with the audio in English, Spanish, French and German.
Episode text can be read in its entirety, search for a word or phrase, tap to play from a specific point, and be used with accessibility features like Text Size, Increase Contrast, and VoiceOver.
This update includes the following improvements and bug fixes:
Music recognition lets you add songs you’ve identified to your Apple Music playlists and library, as well as Apple Music Classic.
Siri has a new option to announce messages you receive in any supported language.
Stolen Device Protection supports the highest security option in all locations.
Battery Health in Settings shows battery cycle count, manufacturing date, and first use on iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models.
Caller ID displays the Apple-verified business name, logo, and department name when available.
Business updates in Messages for Business provide reliable information about order status, flight notifications, fraud alerts, or other transactions of your choice.
Apple Cash virtual card numbers let you pay with Apple Cash at merchants that don’t already accept Apple Pay by entering your number from Wallet or using Safari AutoFill.
Fixes an issue where contact images are blank in Search.
Fixes an issue for Dual SIM users where the phone number changes from primary to secondary and is visible to a group they have sent messages to.
Some features may not be available in all regions or on all Apple devices. For information about the security content of Apple software updates, visit this website:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
For more Apple news, here are the features of iOS 17.5 and iOS 17.4. You can also check out our iOS 17 cheat sheet and what we want to see in iOS 18 at WWDC 2024.
Keynote USA News
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