There is less and less left until the official presentation of iOS 18, an event that will take place during WWDC 2024 and in which we will learn about the main new features of Apple’s operating systems. In the case of iOS, Artificial intelligence is expected to be one of the main protagonists of the new version of the iPhone operating system.
Meanwhile, the company continues updating iOS 17, a version that has undergone numerous changes over the last few months. Everything seems to indicate that the next version of the iPhone operating system is about to drop, and this week Apple has released the first beta of iOS 17.5. Below we review the changes in this new version.
The first beta of iOS 17.5 enables the downloading of apps via the web
The latest updates to the iPhone operating system have brought with them some of the most significant changes in the history of the iPhone. The one known as sideloading It finally arrived on our devices with iOS 17.4 to allow users to download applications from external stores and not only from the App Store.
In the European Union, iOS 17.5 will allow users to install apps directly from the developers website. This means that it will not even be necessary to use any of the external stores that will emerge, but rather we will be able to download an application directly from the app developers’ websites. It is a change that Apple announced about a month ago and that is already reflected in the most recent beta of iOS.
The possibility of downloading iPhone applications from a website represents an unprecedented change in the way we use our devices, since until now It has never been possible to download an application without going through the App Store.
Thanks to this change, any developer will be able to start facilitating the download of their apps directly from their website. Yes indeed, There are a series of requirements to meet: among others, it is essential to have an application that has exceeded one million new installations annually in the European Union during the previous year.
A new system to block third-party trackers
We’ve previously talked about devices like Apple’s AirTag and how some users have used it to spy on and track other people. As is evident, This is something that Apple wants to avoid at all costs and the company has been working for some time to prevent this use and alert users who are being spied on with the AirTag or similar devices.
The first beta of iOS 17.5 includes a hint in the code which reveals that the application Look for It will be able to notify us if it detects that there is a tracking device similar to the AirTag following us, even if the device is not an Apple-approved product.
This is a quite relevant change, since until now Apple could only notify us if the device was an AirTag or a tracker manufactured by another accessory company that had been previously approved by Apple (that is, it was part of the known as Find My Network Accessory Program). The measure now extends to any tracking device.
Small design changes to the widget from the Podcasts app
He wdiget of the application Podcasts now features a dynamic color background that changes to adapt to the color of the cover of the podcast that we are listening. Apparently, this novelty was already available in the beta version of iOS 17.4, but for some reason it was removed before the release of the final version.
At this point it is important to keep in mind that iOS 17 is reaching the end of its cycle and the vast majority of changes will arrive with the launch of iOS 18. Both iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 are expected arrive on our devices at the end of May.
Cover image | Ivan Linares (Xataka)
Via | Macrumors