Apple has today released iOS 17.4, bringing with it support for alternative app marketplaces in the EU, new mushroom, phoenix, lime, broken chain, and shaking heads emoji, updates to the Battery Health in Settings to show battery cycle count, manufacture date, and first use on iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models, and more.
Available now, iOS 17.4 gives users in the EU the ability to set alternative browser engines, alternative payment systems other than Apple Pay on iOS and iPadOS, and NFC access for banks and third-party payment providers. Most notably, iOS 17.4 adds support for third-party app marketplaces in the EU, allowing customers to download apps onto their iPhone and iPad from other app marketplaces other than the Apple App Store.
With the update, Apple has added machine-parsed transcripts to Apple Podcasts, as well as a new now playing bar that appears above the UI, similar to the one found in visionOS.
Additionally, iOS 17.4 adds Apple Cash virtual card numbers to allow users to pay with Apple Cash at merchants that don’t yet accept Apple Pay, support for Siri to announce messages you receive in any language, and new Call Identification, which displays Apple-verified business names, logos, and department names, when available.
iOS 17.4 is available now, with alternative browser engines, alternative payment systems and third-party app marketplaces limited to users in the EU to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, which launches tomorrow on March 6.