The second betas of iOS 17.5 and macOS 14.5 are out now, bringing a number of handy new features for iPhone, iPad and Mac, but the big news is that European users can now download iPhone apps directly from websites.
Apple responds to new EU App Store rules
The new third-party tracker alerts, FaceTime improvements, a battery status readout on the iPad, and the cool new word game in Apple News are all available in the US, while the ability to sideload apps directly from websites is only available in the EU and limited to the iPhone. The iPad remains as locked down as ever. This is great news for our EU-based, iPhone-using friends, but wouldn't it be better if Apple dropped its restrictions globally?
“The progressive conversation around technology regulation and a parallel focus on expanding consumer choice suggests that a similar regulatory environment could emerge in the U.S.,” Jonathan Feniak, general counsel at LLC Attorney, told Lifewire via email.
In recent years, Apple has moved away from dumping all of its new features into the annual fall releases of its various operating systems, and instead spreads them out throughout the year. In the past, this has given us some huge mid-cycle updates, like when Apple added an all-new, rethought mouse compatibility to the iPad (and simultaneously launched the Magic Keyboard with trackpad).
