Credit: Primakov/Shutterstock
Apple released iOS 17.5 to all compatible iPhones earlier today. There aren’t a ton of user-facing changes in this latest version of iOS, which isn’t a huge surprise as we’re only about two months away from our first look at iOS 18.
Still, iOS 17.5 will be another monumental update for some iPhone users, as Apple is adding support for downloading apps directly from the web. Once you update to iOS 17.5, you’ll be able to sideload apps on iPhone—as long as you live in the European Union.
App installation via the web (E.U. only)
Following an announcement in March, iOS 17.5 introduces the ability to download apps directly from developers’ websites, as opposed to using an app store. The first 17.5 beta gave developers the option to host their apps on the web, while the second beta let users download those apps onto their iPhones. It’s the latest fundamental change Apple has made to its platform in the wake of rulings from the European Commission that forced the company to allow developers to run their own third-party app stores, offer true third-party web browsers, among other big changes.
If you don’t use iOS, downloading software from a website for use on your phone isn’t a novel experience. The practice, known as sideloading, is quite normal on Android, and is essentially the go-to way to get new apps on desktop operating systems like Windows, Linux—and, yes, macOS. Sideloading will also be coming to iPadOS in the near future—again in the E.U. only.
Apple has resisted the practice on the iPhone since iOS’ inception, claiming that sideloading puts users at risk. While there is some truth to that, as the lack of oversight invites bad actors to trick users into installing malware, there are plenty of legitimate apps that don’t exist on an official app store. As long as users are careful, they should be able to download programs safely.
Apple being Apple, even after this change rolls out, you won’t be able to simply download any old app from the internet you want: The company is placing restrictions on both the developers that can offer this service, as well as the apps that can be sold online. In addition, devs will still need to offer a cut of their earnings to Apple, so the entire process won’t be that far removed from what goes on in the App Store. Still, it’s a step in the right direction—for users in the E.U., anyway. Nothing about Apple’s app download policies is changing outside of Europe.
Apple News+ gets some changes
For the rest of us outside of the E.U., there are still coming fun changes that make iOS 17.5 worth installing right away. Apple News+ in particular gets a few updates: If you pay for Apple News, you’ll now have a new game to try out: Quartiles. In this game, players pick from tiles containing two or three letters each to build words, which can be made up of one to four tiles. For example, you may see the tiles “art,” “ist,” “ic,” and “ally,” which you can play to create the word “artistically.” If you pay for Apple News+, you can add this game to your roster of news-based games, including Wordle and Connections.
Also new to Apple News+ is offline mode, which pulls content from the Today feed and News+ tab locally onto your iPhone. That way, you can check out daily updates when you’re away from an internet connection, such as when hopping on a flight. Plus, there’s now a Scoreboard section in News+ Puzzles, to keep tabs on your stats in Quartiles, Crossword, and Mini Crossword.
Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers
After teaming up with Google, Apple is releasing a new standard for detecting Bluetooth trackers across platforms: Detecting Unwanted Location Trackers. With this standard, any iPhone running iOS 17.5 and any Android device running Android 6.0 or newer will be able to identify a unknown Bluetooth tracker, and alert you with a “[Item] Found Moving With You” message.
According to Apple, if you get that message on your iPhone, it means someone’s AirTag, Find My accessory, or
“other industry specification-compatible Bluetooth tracker” is with you. The alert will come with instructions about what the tracker is, how to play a noise to locate the tracker, and how to disable the tracker.
Other changes in iOS 17.5
While iOS 17.5 is a minor update, there are a few new features to check out. The Podcasts widget will now change its color to reflect whatever you’re listening to, rather than the stock purple color of Podcasts itself, and there’s a new icon for the Passkeys Access for Web Browsers menu in Privacy & Security. As of the second beta, you’ll find a tip in the Notes app pointing you to features like tags and checklists, while the Books app has a new shortcut to the Reading Goals section.
MacRumors found features in 17.5’s code that may be on the horizon, including a “Block All Participants” button in FaceTime, a Battery Health menu for iPads, and references to the new Apple Pencil and its “squeeze” feature.
