iOS 17.4: new emojis for everyone and special rules for the EU
6/3/2024
Translation: machine translated
With iOS 17.4, six brand new emojis are available on the iPhone. Apple is also increasing the security of iMessage and the special rules for the EU are coming into force.
With the update to iOS 17.4, iPhones in the EU will receive their own version of the operating system. Other countries, including Switzerland, will have to do without alternative app stores and payment methods. Podcast transcripts and the farewell to "Hey Siri" are available worldwide.
Emojis and podcasts for everyone to read
If you read somewhere that over 100 new emojis are coming with iOS 17.4, that's not wrong either. However, 108 are just new variants of existing emojis. For example, cyclists or joggers can no longer just cycle or run in one direction. In contrast, only six emojis and four gender-neutral family constellations are completely new.
Source: Jan Johannsen
The lime and a brown mushroom complete the fruit and vegetable emoji selection. The Phoenix complements the mythical creatures. The destroyed chain can be used both positively and negatively. The same applies to the heads with an implied horizontal or vertical tilt. For most people, they signify rejection and approval - but this interpretation is not identical worldwide.
If you want the voice assistant on your iPhone to listen to you, all you have to do after the update is say "Siri". The additional word "Hey" is no longer necessary to activate it - although Switzerland and Austria seem to be exceptions. Changing the language to "German (Germany)" should help. In addition, Siri can now read out incoming messages in all supported languages.
In Apple's Podcasts app, you can display transcripts of current podcasts. This initially applies to podcasts in German, English, French and Spanish. This makes the content accessible for the deaf or hard of hearing. Apple also mentions the benefits of being able to find facts more quickly, look up words that are not understood and read along while learning a new language.
With PQ3, iMessage is getting a new encryption protocol. This should make it impossible to decrypt chat messages with powerful quantum computers in the future. Apple also wants to prevent a threat scenario called "harvest now, decrypt later". This means that someone stores encrypted data in the hope of being able to decrypt it in a few years with more powerful hardware.
There is a small change for the with iOS 17.3 introduced protection for stolen devices. You can now always activate the security delay for changing sensitive data. Familiar locations are therefore no longer exempt from the one-hour waiting period before the changes become active.
Source: Jan Johannsen
On an iPhone 15, iOS 17.4 shows directly in the settings whether the battery status is "normal" or not. There is also additional information - such as the remaining maximum capacity, the number of cycles used and the production date of the battery. Apple has also increased the number of expected charging cycles, after which the battery should still have 80 per cent capacity, from 500 to 1000 for the iPhone 15.
Only in the EU: Scratches on Apple's golden cage
If you live in the EU, you will receive further innovations with iOS 17.4. With these, Apple is fulfilling the requirements of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which comes into force on 7 March 2024.
Opening up to alternative app stores and payment methods beyond Apple Pay are among the special features in the EU. Apple's new fee structure associated with this has not universally met with enthusiasm. However, it is not stopping game developer Epic, for example, from bringing its Game Store and thus Fortnite back to the iPhone.
Browsers on the iPhone are now also allowed to use engines other than Webkit and app developers are given access to the NFC chip on smartphones. Outside the EU, this is still only available for Apple's own services. Contrary to what was sometimes assumed, the DMA has no impact on iMessage.
Update for six-year-old iPhones
In addition to the new functions, iOS 17.4 also closes one or two security gaps. The update is available for all iPhones from the iPhone X and the second generation of the iPhone SE. If the update is not offered to you on your smartphone, you can start it in the settings under "General > Software update". <p
Header image: Jan Johannsen
As a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.