iOS 17.4 Coming Soon as iPhone App Sideloading Deadline in EU Nears

Apple has until March 6 to fully comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act, which among other things will require the company to allow iPhone users to install apps outside of the App Store. With the deadline for this regulation fast approaching, it is likely that Apple will begin preparing for these changes with iOS 17.4.

iOS App Store General Feature JoeBlue
The first iOS 17.4 beta is expected to be released as early as this week, although it is unclear if the app-related changes will be rolled out for testing immediately, or held for later beta versions. Apple is expected to add support for both third-party app stores and app sideloading on the iPhone for users in EU countries, including Austria, Belgium, Italy, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and others.

Apple has strongly opposed the Digital Markets Act and app sideloading over the past few years, citing privacy and security risks for customers. At a tech conference in 2021, Apple CEO Tim Cook said app sideloading "would destroy the security of the iPhone and a lot of the privacy initiatives that we've built into the App Store."

Apple will likely do the minimum required to comply with the Digital Markets Act, which may lead to several limitations and guardrails surrounding third-party app stores and app sideloading on the iPhone. We've seen Apple do similar with legal compliance in the U.S., where it recently allowed developers to direct customers to payment methods outside of the ‌App Store‌, but is still collecting up to a 27% commission and has several rules.

There are other changes coming to the iPhone in Europe as a result of regulatory pressures. Earlier this week, the European Commission announced that Apple has promised to give third-party payment apps access to the iPhone's NFC chip in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, which should result in more competition for Apple Pay. It's unclear when Apple will implement this change, but it is likely further away than app sideloading.

We will be digging into iOS 17.4 as soon as it is released, so stay tuned for a closer look at any new features and code changes.

Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...

Top Rated Comments

krspkbl Avatar
18 months ago
They should do everyone a favour and allow sideloading worldwide.

It's not as scary as you think. You don't ever need to use it if you want Apple to protect you but it's nice to have the choice.

Do people only download apps on their Macs through the app store there? lol. If my PC didn't allow "side loading" (which is basically normal installing) then I'd not use it because it'd heavily restrict my use of it.

iOS is the most locked down OS out there and it's only that way to protect Apple's ability to make money. Every other advanced modern OS allows side loading (including MacOS).
Score: 35 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mcilwraith Avatar
18 months ago
will this cover the UK? Brexit? I would only trust the App store anyway, to be honest. security is all.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Glenny2lappies Avatar
18 months ago
These are EU rules, not European rules.

The EU is not Europe.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
18 months ago

iOS is the most locked down OS out there.
tvOS has entered the chat…
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
18 months ago
As the uk left the eu would we not get the side loading
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
18 months ago
MacRumors at its best: “There might be a 17.4 beta soon and 17.4 might do something for side-loading, but we don’t actually have any new information, not even rumors. Happily our readers still fall for the clickbaity title.”
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)