If you have an iPhone, you’ll want to check it right now for a big update. The iOS 17.4 update is officially rolling out right now and it includes some fairly significant new features.
Without a doubt, the biggest addition in iOS 17.4 is support for third-party app stores. As confirmed in January, iOS 17.4 will allow iPhone users in the European Union to download applications from sources other than Apple’s official App Store. It’s a dramatic change caused by legislation from the EU’s Digital Markets Act and one of the biggest changes we’ve seen for the iPhone in years. However, as Apple has repeatedly made clear, this only applies to iPhone users in the EU.
For those of us in the U.S. and elsewhere, there’s still plenty to look forward to in iOS 17.4 — namely, new emoji. Apple has added 18 new emoji with iOS 17.4, including a new mushroom emoji, a lime emoji, a broken chain emoji, and more. There’s even an emoji of a burning phoenix, which looks pretty incredible.
You’ll also find a new feature in the Apple Podcasts app, specifically, written transcripts for episodes. Transcripts enable you to read along with your favorite podcast and listen to its audio, and they’re available for English, French, Spanish, and German podcasts. Apple says transcripts will be automatically available for new episodes “shortly after episodes are published,” while older episodes “will be transcribed over time.”
iOS 17.4 has a few smaller updates, too. Per Apple’s release notes:
To download iOS 17.4 on your iPhone, open the Settings app, tap General, and then tap Software Update. The page should automatically update with the option to update your phone to iOS 17.4.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.
Apple's next cheaper iPhone could get a brand-new processor while keeping its most stubborn display compromise. Digital Chat Station tips the iPhone 18e for a 2027 release with a 2nm A20 chip and a 6.12-inch OLED screen still limited to 60Hz.
The rumored camera setup includes a single 48MP rear camera and a possible 24MP selfie camera. There's new hardware to consider, but buyers hoping Apple would extend that upgrade generosity to smoother scrolling could be disappointed.