Apple today seeded release candidates of upcoming iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 to developers for testing purposes, with the updates coming one week after Apple seeded the fourth betas. The RCs are the final versions of the software that will be released to the public next week so long as no bugs are found during this final testing process.
Registered developers are able to opt into the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 Developer Beta. A free or paid Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.
iOS 17.4 introduces sweeping changes to the way the App Store and apps operate in the European Union, paving the way for alternative app marketplaces, alternative payment systems, third-party browser engine support, and NFC access for banks and third-party payment providers. These features are limited to the EU, and won't be available in other countries.
There are, however, changes to gaming apps, and with the launch of iOS 17.4, Apple will be allowing cloud gaming apps like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce NOW. Mini games, chatbots, and plug-ins are also now able to use the in-app purchase system. Along with these updates, iOS 17.4 adds new emoji characters, transcripts for podcasts in the Podcasts app, support for using SharePlay with the HomePod, Stopwatch Live Activities, and more. Apple's release notes for the update are below.
Emoji
- New mushroom, phoenix, lime, broken chain, and shaking heads emoji are now available in the emoji keyboard
- 18 people and body emoji add the option to face them in either directionApple Podcasts
- Transcripts let you follow an episode with text that highlights in sync with the audio in English, Spanish, French and German
- Episode text can be read in full, searched for a word or phrase, tapped to play from a specific point and used with accessibility features such as Text Size, Increase Contrast, and VoiceOverThis update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
- Music recognition lets you add songs you have identified to your Apple Music Playlists and Library, as well as Apple Music Classical
- Siri has a new option to announce messages you receive in any supported language
- Stolen Device Protection supports the option for increased security in all locations
- Battery Health in Settings shows battery cycle count, manufacture date, and first use on iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models
- Call Identification displays Apple-verified business name, logo, and department name when available
- Business updates in Messages for Business provide trusted information for order status, flight notifications, fraud alerts or other transactions you opt into
- Apple Cash virtual card numbers enable you to pay with Apple Cash at merchants that don't yet accept Apple Pay by typing in your number from Wallet or using Safari AutoFill
- Fixes an issue where contact pictures are blank in Find My
- Fixes an issue for Dual SIM users where the phone number changes from primary to secondary and is visible to a group they have messaged
Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
Full details on everything new in iOS 17.4 can be found in our iOS 17.4 features guide.
Top Rated Comments
* iOS 17.4 Release Candidate (21E217) - February 27, 2024
* iPadOS 17.4 Release Candidate (21E217) - February 27, 2024
* macOS 14.4 beta 5 (23E5211a) - February 27, 2024
* tvOS 17.4 beta 5 (21L5225a) - February 27, 2024
* visionOS 1.1 beta 4 (21O5203a) -February 27, 2024
* iOS 16.7.6 Release Candidate (20H3200 - February 27, 2024
* iPadOS 16.7.6 Release Candidate (20H320) - February 27, 2024
* iOS 15.8.2 Release Candidate (19H384) - February 27, 2024
* iPadOS 15.8.2 Release Candidate (19H384) - February 27, 2024
Anyway, nice to see Apple making more efforts to identify legitimate calls. Perhaps iOS 18 will finally bring AI-based call screening like Pixel phones do.
[Click to view video attachment]
[HEADING=2]General ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#General')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Known Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Known-Issues')[/HEADING]
* Default browser choice screen might not show up when intended and apps requiring certain managed entitlements might not install or show an error. (121566625)
Workaround: Open Settings and navigate to Privacy & Security > Location Services. Toggle location services off for 10 seconds, and then turn it back on.
[HEADING=2]App Store ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#App-Store')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Resolved-Issues')[/HEADING]
* Fixed: Certain App Store product sheets will show a “Cannot Connect to iTunes Store” error. (121523272)
[HEADING=2]Apple Maps and CarPlay in vehicle instrument clusters ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Apple-Maps-and-CarPlay-in-vehicle-instrument-clusters')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]New Features ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#New-Features')[/HEADING]
* In iOS 17.4, with supported CarPlay vehicles, Apple Maps will present a new instrument cluster experience with information about upcoming maneuvers. Users will be able to swap the desired display type between the main and instrument cluster screen by tapping the map configuration button on the upper right of the Maps main screen. (122833170)
[HEADING=2]BrowserEngineKit ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#BrowserEngineKit')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Resolved-Issues')[/HEADING]
* Fixed: The symbol createVisibilityPropagationInteraction ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/browserenginekit/propagating-view-visibility-information-to-browser-extensions') is missing in the SDK. (119845855)
[HEADING=2]Gestures & Reactions ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Gestures--Reactions')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]New Features ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#New-Features')[/HEADING]
* Developers can control the default behavior of Reactions with the key NSCameraReactionEffectGesturesEnabledDefault. This is controlled per application and user choice will override application declared defaults (113811074)
[HEADING=2]HomeKit ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#HomeKit')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Resolved-Issues')[/HEADING]
* Fixed: Viewing HomeKit camera live video might not work when away from home. (121166796)
[HEADING=2]Maps ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Maps')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Resolved-Issues')[/HEADING]
* Fixed: MapKit SwiftUI apps might show incorrect map mode for walking and cycling routes. (121085728)
[HEADING=2]Messages ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Messages')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Resolved-Issues')[/HEADING]
* Fixed: Stickers (Memoji and 3rd party) might appear blank. (120994483)
[HEADING=2]Object Capture ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Object-Capture')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]New Features ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#New-Features')[/HEADING]
* A new manual bounding box flow is now initiated if automatic object detection fails to find an object, particularly in cases where there is no salient ground plane. In this flow, the user is expected to utilize the standard manual bounding box controls to indicate the bounding box of the object to capture by adjusting the provided starting box placed in the world in front of the user. You can determine if this mode has been activated by observing for the new element .objectNotDetected, which will be added to the ObjectCaptureSession’s Feedback set when the manual flow has been activated. You can use this to provide notification and/or instructions to the user about this manual box flow as desired. (113474123)
[HEADING=3]Resolved Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Resolved-Issues')[/HEADING]
* Fixed an issue where an ObjectCaptureView was incorrectly rotating the point cloud view in landscape UI orientations. (114248688) (FB13030239)
* Fixed: PhotogrammetrySession creation on iOS is now significantly faster. (114458164)
* Fixed a memory leak when ObjectCaptureSession was used in a SwiftUI Environment or was torn down without waiting for cleanup to finish. (114481678) (FB13057864)
[HEADING=2]Passkeys ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Passkeys')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Resolved-Issues')[/HEADING]
* Fixed: Registering passkeys might not work on certain websites. (122217903)
[HEADING=2]Podcasts ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Podcasts')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Resolved-Issues')[/HEADING]
* Fixed: Tapping on a podcast show from Recently Searched occasionally returns you to the Recently Searched view instead of the podcast show product page. (120915925)
[HEADING=2]Setup Assistant ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Setup-Assistant')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Resolved-Issues')[/HEADING]
* Fixed: Pairing might fail when using Quick Start to set up a new device. (120982013)
[HEADING=2]Shared iPad ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Shared-iPad')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Resolved-Issues')[/HEADING]
* Fixed: Users might be greeted with a “Loading” screen in the Files app immediately after log in on a Shared iPad. (122092017)
[HEADING=2]Siri ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Siri')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]New Features ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#New-Features')[/HEADING]
* Siri can respond in a combination of English and Hindi, depending on the primary language you use to interact with Siri. In the Settings app, go to Siri & Search > Language > English (India) and choose English & Hindi as the Preferred Response Language. Then ask Siri something in Hindi. (114742290)
[HEADING=2]StoreKit ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#StoreKit')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]New Features ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#New-Features')[/HEADING]
* In StoreKit testing in Xcode, a billing error StoreKit message ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/storekit/message')will be sent when a subscription tries to renew while the Enable Billing Retry on Renewal setting is enabled in the StoreKit configuration file. Use the messages listener ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/storekit/message/3954510-messages')API to control when StoreKit messages are displayed in your app. (101869442)
* productDescriptionHidden(_:) API can be used to configure the visibility of product descriptions in ProductView, StoreView and SubscriptionStoreViewinstances within a view hierarchy. When building with Xcode 15.3, the view modifier can be used even if your app is running on iOS 17.0, iPadOS 17.0, macOS 14.0, tvOS 17.0, watchOS 10.0, visionOS 1.0, or later.
When implementing a product view style, it can support this new view modifier by checking the descriptionVisibility property on the configuration value. (110414819) (FB12261973)
* You can use SubscriptionStoreView ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/storekit/subscriptionstoreview') to present promotional offers by adding the subscriptionPromotionalOffer(offer:signature:) modifier.
If you’re already using inAppPurchaseOptions(_:) ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/swiftui/view/inapppurchaseoptions(_:)')modifier to support promotional offers for StoreKit views, you should adopt the new API instead when your app is running on iOS 17.4, iPadOS 17.4, macOS 14.4, tvOS 17.4, watchOS 10.4, visionOS 1.1 or later. Do not use both APIs to apply a promotional offer for the same view. (115358806)
[HEADING=3]Resolved Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Resolved-Issues')[/HEADING]
* Fixed: The isEligibleForIntroOffer ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/storekit/product/subscriptioninfo/3803203-iseligibleforintrooffer') property and isEligibleForIntroOffer(for:) ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/storekit/product/subscriptioninfo/3791958-iseligibleforintrooffer') method now reflect ineligibility in cases where a customer would otherwise be eligible for the offer if they weren’t actively subscribed. This means a customer which is not currently eligible for an introductory offer may become eligible in the future.
Customers who redeem an introductory offer for a given subscription group will continue to never be eligible for another introductory offer in that subscription group. You can detect this case this by checking if any one transaction with a matching subscriptionGroupID ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/storekit/transaction/3749718-subscriptiongroupid') has the type ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/storekit/transaction/offer/4307073-type') property on offer ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/storekit/transaction/4307076-offer') set to introductory ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/storekit/transaction/offertype/3822309-introductory'). (103604770) (FB11889732)
* Fixed an issue causing SKAdNetwork versions 2.2 and 3.0 to not accept impressions or send postbacks. (121223565)
* Fixed an issue causing some approved Ask to Buy purchases to fail. (121249405)
[HEADING=2]SwiftUI ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#SwiftUI')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]New Features ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#New-Features')[/HEADING]
* Table now supports dynamic numbers of columns with the new TableColumnForEach. (79492167) (FB9189673)
* Popover presentations now automatically dismiss if they go outside the safe area. (100811375)
[HEADING=3]Resolved Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Resolved-Issues')[/HEADING]
* Fixed: Resolved an issue with programmatically present an alert or sheet simultaneously with dismissing another sheet. The new alert or sheet would not show but now it will. If you have code that presents the same sheet programmatically from multiple places in your view hierarchy at the same time, that sheet might no longer appear. Make sure that any sheetmodifiers that are in the view hierarchy at the same time use distinct isPresented or item bindings. (117475214)
[HEADING=2]WebKit ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#WebKit')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-17_4-release-notes#Resolved-Issues')[/HEADING]
* Fixed HTML content not displaying in a Simulator, affecting projects using the web extension project template. (121338366)
[/SPOILER]