Apple announces support for alternative app marketplaces, web browser engines in the EU with iOS 17.4
Apple releases first iOS 17.4 beta with these changes for the EU - 9to5Mac
Updated the link to a better source that gives a more detailed overview.
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Yet again, we lack the only detail anyone actually cares about: how does Apple plan on actually limiting this functionality to the EU?
It’s difficult for me to imagine how they can comply with this but only for EU customers in a manner which can’t be easily circumvented. It kind of bothers me that journalists just parrot “these changes will not be coming to jurisdictions outside of the EU” uncritically, seemingly just completely taking for granted the idea that there’s not going to be any way to benefit from this if you don’t live in the EU.
Devices are very strictly controlled on a hardware level for the market they are designed to operate in. It's a requirement to obtain licensing for management of radio spectrum.
It's trivial for iOS to check the internal hardware of any phone, see that it is an EU export model with all of thr Apple DRM active so you can't fake it, and adjust accordingly.
Sure but they're also sold secondhand. Also people can be born in one country, but move to live in another one... bringing their devices with them. Apple's DRM can't be tied to hardware.
Also - what if a user doesn't have an account with Apple at all? How can Apple know what country they're from? Signing up for an Apple ID is optional when you setup an iPhone - you only really need one to access the App Store and there are now alternative methods available to install apps in the EU.
There are different antennas on different devices, but all of them generally work everywhere in the world - it worst your bandwidth might be a bit lower.
they’re also sold secondhand
Apple probably doesn't care about that, there aren't much people who'll be doing that to warrant worrying about it. I mean, are the very FOSS folks going to switch to Apple just because of this? Unlikely
Also - what if a user doesn’t have an account with Apple at all? How can Apple know what country they’re from?
Defaults based on the model's market.
Sure but they’re also sold secondhand. Also people can be born in one country, but move to live in another one… bringing their devices with them. Apple’s DRM can’t be tied to hardware.
Why not? What happens in the examples you gave? The EU won't forbid such devices entering the EU or they'd have to confiscate them off tourists. How many Americans do you know who have EU devices and vice versa? That issue may be negligible.
If a non European citizen goes to the EU, the law should force Apple to apply this freedom to their devices too, at least while they're there.
Two ways:
Yeah that's what I'm curious about. I have a US apple account because that's where I'm from, but I live in the EU and don't really wanna change accounts or screw with anything.
i think it would be rather trivial for them to restrict features to secure (not rooted) devices connecting to eu towers via eu carriers (perhaps also owned by eu customers)
Not super familiar with EU law, but it was my understanding that a company that wants to be allowed to operate in the EU can’t just start violating an EU citizen’s EU granted rights just because aren’t literally geographically inside the EU at the time of the rights violation.
In other words, it’s my understanding that Apple would be liable for damages if, for instance, an EU citizen on vacation suddenly lost access to alternative app stores and such.
But you can use iPads and iPhones without a SIM card? I don't think it's trivial at all.
