Apple released iOS 17.4 to the general public on March 5, more than a month after iOS 17.3 was released to the general public. The latest iOS update brings new features, including major changes for people in the European Union and new emoji, as well as important bug fixes to your iPhone.
Here’s what iOS 17.4 brings to your iPhone.
Downloading other app stores in the EU
Apple introduced a significant change to Safari, the App Store and iOS with iOS 17.4, but only for people in Europe. With iOS 17.4, people in the EU can download an alternative app store and apps from outside the App Store. As CNET’s Katie Collins reports, this marks one of the largest changes to the App Store since its inception in 2008. People in the EU will also be given new default app controls, giving them more ways to customize their iPhone experience.
Some of the new emoji in iOS 17.4 include a phoenix, a slice of lime and broken chains.
Apple introduced over 100 new emoji to iPhone users with iOS 17.4. Those emoji include heads shaking up and down or left and right, a phoenix and a slice of lime. These emoji were announced in 2023, and some Android devices, including the latest Samsung phones, already have them.
Improved iMessage security against future threats
With iOS 17.4, your iMessage chats get a security boost to protect them from cyberattacks that involve quantum computing. According to CNET’s David Lumb, Apple said it hasn’t seen these kinds of cyberattacks yet, but the company wants to get ahead of the potential threat now.
Read more: Apple’s Next iOS Update Protects iMessage Against Future Quantum Computing Attacks
Podcasts can now show transcripts
Stolen Device Protection now lets you always require a security delay, or only when you’re away from locations like your home.
Apple introduced a few new options in Stolen Device Protection with iOS 17.4. The new options let you choose whether you want to always require a 1-hour security delay to access certain settings or make changes, or to only require the delay when you’re away from a familiar location like your home.
Apple introduced Stolen Device Protection with iOS 17.3, and the intent of the feature is to protect some of your data if your device is stolen or falls into nefarious hands. The feature doesn’t protect all your data, but Apple still recommends everyone turn it on.
Read more: How to Give Your iPhone’s Stolen Device Protection a Boost
New Battery Health readout for iPhone 15 models
With iOS 17.4, iPhone 15 models get a new Battery Health readout. If you go to Settings > Battery, you’ll see a new option which tells you the status of your battery’s health in a word, like Normal or Service. You can also tap this option for more details about your battery, like its cycle count and maximum capacity. Before, your iPhone would show a percentage in relation to your battery’s health without any indication of what it means.
Read more: iOS 17.4’s New Tool Shows if Your iPhone 15’s Battery Health Is Normal
New Home button in the Music and Books apps
Apple introduced a Home button in Apple Music and the Books app with iOS 17.4. If you open either app and look at the bottom of your screen, the Home button is in the far-left corner. This button replaced Listen Now in Apple Music and Read Now in Books.
If you’re an Apple Music subscriber and tap the button, you’re taken to a page that shows you menus, like Recently Played, and recommendations based on artists you’ve listened to. If you tap this button in the Books app, you see menus like Current Bestsellers and Start Reading for Free.
Previous iOS updates brought Home buttons to the Podcasts and Apple TV apps, so this change is likely Apple trying to apply some uniformity across its apps.
Siri can read messages in multiple languages
In iOS 17.4, Apple gave Siri the ability to read messages in multiple languages. If you go to Settings > Siri & Search, you’ll see the option Messaging with Siri, which replaced Automatically Send Messages. Tap Messaging with Siri and you’ll see Add Language. If you tap this, you can have Siri read messages in other languages, like Spanish, different dialects of Mandarin and Thai. But Apple writes that this won’t change the primary language Siri listens and responds in.
New Apple CarPlay and Maps experience in certain vehicles
Watch this: Apple Sports Is the Next Step in Apple’s Big Sports Plans
07:49
