iOS 17 to allow sideloading apps? Here’s everything we know about the upcoming update

Support for sideloading apps?

A Bloomberg report claimed that Apple employees are working on changes to iOS that would open the operating system to apps outside the App Store. The company is planning to take action by 2024, in response to EU regulations. However, changes could go arrive with the release of iOS 17 itself. If the changes are implemented, developers will be able to work around paying 15% to 30% of fees to Apple.

But there’s also the possibility of Apple limiting the changes to the EU alone and keeping its current policy in all other regions.

Third-Party Browsers without Webkit

While Apple does third-party browsers, there’s one huge restriction. The company insists that all browsers use the same rendering engine as Safari – WebKit. However, the growing antitrust pressure on Apple also includes claims that the WebKit requirement is anti-competitive. The European Digital Markets Act looks set to force Apple into dropping the WebKit with iOS 17 – and if and when that happens, we could see browsers with greater feature differentiation on App Store.

Support for MR headset

Apple’s long-rumoured mixed-reality headset is finally expected to launch this year. The device has been tipped to function on its own and will also have its own App Store. But Apple is known for its ecosystem where devices interact with each other in various ways, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that there will be some level of integration between the headset and the iPhone. We may see some headset-specific features on iOS 17.

CarPlay updates

Apple at the WWDC 2022 event provided a preview of an upgraded CarPlay experience with deeper integration with vehicles, allowing car functions like volume and radio to be controlled through CarPlay. The company also plans to add widgets and support for multiple displays. With the first vehicles with next-gen CarPlay integration set to arrive in 2023, support for it will likely be built into iOS 17.

iOS 17 release date

Apple introduces the first developer beta of new iOS versions in June every year and iOS 17 is expected to be no different. Following a period of testing, the first stable version will become available with the launch of the iPhone 15 series in September.

iOS 17 compatible devices

Even though the iPhone 6s was supported for a lot longer than that, iPhones typically get 5 years of updates. Going by this, we expect iOS 17 to be available on iPhone XS and up.

• iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max
• iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max