Apple Seeds Fourth Betas of iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 to Developers [Update: Public Beta Available]

Tuesday February 20, 2024 10:08 am PST by Juli Clover

Apple today seeded the fourth betas of upcoming iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 to developers for testing purposes, with the updates coming one week after Apple seeded the third betas.

iOS 17
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. Full details on everything new in iOS 17.4 can be found in our iOS 17.4 features guide.

Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

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• 59 comments

Top Rated Comments

TravelsInBlue

29 months ago

At some point they gotta start getting rid of some emojis.

Just too damn many to sort through

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

JustSomebody12

29 months ago

At some point they gotta start getting rid of some emojis.

Just too damn many to sort through

You can search for them by typing

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

iGeneo

29 months ago

Battery health with "normal" (if that applies) and then you can drill into the details

Nice change

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

midkay

29 months ago

At some point they gotta start getting rid of some emojis.

Just too damn many to sort through

It'd be cool if there was a one-tap toggle to filter the emojis list down to the just ones you've ever used before, or used in the past year or something, which would immediately filter out like 90%+ of them.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)