Apple today seeded the fourth betas of its upcoming iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 updates to developers and public beta testers. The new betas come one week after the third beta release.
The developer beta builds of iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 are available to developers who opt into the betas by going to “Settings” -> “Software Update,” then tapping on the “Beta Updates” option and turning on the iOS 17 Developer Beta. An Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.
Public beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program can download the iOS 17.4 and iPadOS 17.4 updates by opening the Settings app, going to “General,” tapping on the “Software Update” section, and turning on the iOS 17 Public Beta option.
iOS 17.4 will add app sideloading support in the European Union to allow Apple to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and. Sideloading will allow Apple users in Europe to download apps outside of the App Store. The change will be limited to the European Union and won’t impact customers in other parts of the globe.
The beta brings new emoji characters, including lime, an edible brown mushroom, a phoenix, a broken chain, shaking head yes, and shaking head no.
iOS 17.4 also brings changes to gaming apps, and with the public launch of iOS 17.4, Apple will be allowing cloud gaming apps like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce NOW. Mini-games, chatbots, and plug-ins will also be able to use the in-app purchase system.
As usual, MacTrast and Apple both warn users to not install any betas on their daily driver iPhone or iPad. Instead, only install betas on a device set aside for testing purposes.