Coming soon: unlocking the iPhone and iPad’s full potential thanks to EU regulations; my dream comes true with iOS 17.4?

iOS and iPadOS 17.4 will arrive soon – in March – and with these updates for our iPhones and iPads comes the possibility of accessing alternative application stores and downloading applications. The warning ? These upcoming major changes will only apply to users in the European Union, due to the EU's Digital Markets Act which is about to come into force in May. Apple's hand was almost legally forced into this. Nevertheless, Apple will surely do everything possible to not only limit alternative app stores and app sideloading to EU users only, but also to make these processes as frustrating and complicated as possible, in order to discourage users to try them.

But why does it matter anyway, and why do I care? Well, I happen to be an EU citizen and there are some things I've always wanted to do with my iPhone and iPad that I could only do on Android phones and tablets, until here.

Here's why I'm excited about this update, and why you should be too, especially if you're an Apple user based in the EU…

Finally getting the most out of your powerful iPad

The iPad is a powerful machine, but we can make better use of it without some of Apple's limitations

Unlike Android, on Apple's mobile devices, users can only access apps approved by this multi-billion dollar fruit. Until now, iPhone and iPad users could only access one app store – Apple's – and download or purchase only apps pre-approved by it.

This is great in terms of security, but if you're someone who, say, wants to play Fortnite or download a torrent app, you're out of luck. Apple has a problem with the developer of Fortnite, so it ends up being your problem, as a consumer. Apple also doesn't allow some gray area apps like torrent ones, so again – if you ever need them – bad luck.

There are many reasons why games and apps may not get approval from Apple, and unfortunately for users like you and me, that means we don't have the option to download them on our Apple devices .

Now I don't care about Fortnite or torrent apps, but I love virtual machines. That is, the ability to run one operating system within another. For example, I already ran Windows on my Mac and Linux on my Android tablet. It's not only a fun thing to try, but genuinely useful for good professionals and amateurs alike.

iPads have become quite powerful these days, but they are limited to running iPadOS only. My problem with this? Multitasking still isn't great and I can't run the desktop Chrome browser I'm used to and need for work.

The iPadOS Chrome browser can be roughly described as the Safari mobile browser in disguise, which is again due to the limitations Apple has imposed on developers.

If only I could run a virtual machine on my iPad, I could run Windows or Linux in it and get the full Chrome browser I need to make my iPad truly replace my laptop.

This is just one example of how side-loading apps and alternative app stores will soon empower iPad users like me, and as you can probably tell, it can be a big deal huge for some of us.

Make your iPhone truly yours; no limits, finally

EU gets different version of iOS 17.4

Once again, I must state that the limitations set by Apple are not bad in themselves, especially if you look at things with privacy and security in mind. However, the iPhone's limitations can be quite a compromise to deal with if you're coming from Android. You get less customization and fewer apps in general, due to the aforementioned lack of alternative app stores, in addition to Apple's stricter rules like what type of apps are allowed on their own.

I like retro games. I have a huge collection and I'm part of a whole community that looks like me. We all have collections of abandonware retro games on our Android Phones, and I occasionally play them on airplane flights and so on. However, Apple has decided that one of the many things it doesn't allow on its app store is emulators.

These are programs that emulate game consoles, like an old Atari, a SEGA Genesis, or maybe an arcade machine you played as a kid. Again – Google allows those who are on Android Phones and tablets, but not Apple, on iPhones and iPads.

When iOS 17.4 arrives for us EU boys, we'll finally be able to play our old “I can't give up my childhood” games on the go, when nostalgia strikes. No more jumping through hoops – we'll just download our emulators from alternative app stores, even if Apple proves discouraging about it. The European Digital Markets Act gives us this right, as users, and I'm quite happy about it.

Mobile app and game developers can break out of Apple's walled garden

I mentioned the conflict between Fortnite developer Epic Games and Apple. This is just one example (albeit the most high-profile) where an app developer disagrees with Apple and ultimately consumers suffer. Your child can't play their favorite game because Epic Games wants to share less of its revenue with Apple, while Apple… is Apple… It wants that cut of revenue. It takes a percentage of all revenue from all app and game developers who sell on its devices, namely the iPhone and iPad.

The legal details don't really matter; The fact is that with the EU Digital Markets Act coming into force and Apple being forced to comply with it, more developers will be able to reach more users, at least within the EU.

More mobile games, potentially cheaper, and more software in general, like the examples I gave earlier. More freedom of choice for everyone.

I've explained why it's important to me and why I'm excited about the iOS and iPadOS update, but what about you? Would you like to see the Digital Markets Act expand to other regions, such as the United States, in some form? Let us know what you think about the topic in the comments section below!