Apple launched iOS 17.4, a major iPhone update

Apple has released iOS 17.4, providing a significant upgrade for iPhone owners. 

 The update includes:

• Significant security enhancements for iMessage.
• Improvements for the Podcast app.
• The addition of 118 new emoji. 

These include a lime, a phoenix, a brown mushroom, a broken metal chain, two shaking heads, and four gender-neutral families.

Over 100 individuals are shown in various skin tones and genders, with some positioned sideways. The group includes individuals with canes and those in wheelchairs. 

The update includes 118 new emojis from the most recent release by Unicode, the governing body for all authorised emojis. 

One hundred eight new characters are new 'direction-specifying' variants of the six current person emojis. 

The image depicts individuals of various skin tones and genders, some positioned sideways, some clutching canes and others in wheelchairs. 

Four new gender-neutral families appear as silhouettes, like the preceding 'Bust in Silhouette' and 'Busts in Silhouette' designs. 

Apple's gender-neutral family emojis are shown in white on a light blue backdrop and represent several family compositions: two parents and a child, one parent and two children, one parent and one kid, and two parents and two children.

Along with introducing new emojis, several adjustments are being made to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is designed to eliminate the unjust benefits enjoyed by large digital companies. 

Apple must allow developers to establish and operate their app stores for iPhone devices and distribute applications through them, as mandated by this legislation. 

Epic, known for Fortnite, is preparing to introduce its Epic Store this year, enabling European players to download games on their mobile devices. 

The upgrade will enable applications to use the iPhone's contactless payment technology for services outside of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. 

The significant modifications will be accessible in the EU. Hence, UK customers will not see any alterations in the App Store. 

 Users worldwide will get a significant security upgrade for iMessage. 

iOS 17.4 adds a new encryption method named PQ3 to safeguard users from 'Harvest Now, Decrypt Later' attacks. 

Criminals use quantum computing technology to collect user data to decrypt it in the future.

iPhone users will get more functionality and upgrades to some applications in addition to the changes mentioned. 

The Podcast app can display real-time audio recordings for English, German, French, or Spanish podcasts. 

Users may search for a specific word or phrase in the transcript to locate their position in the podcast and click on a word to begin listening from that point. 

The iPhone 15 will provide additional details under the 'Battery Health' settings, such as cycle count, manufacturing date, and first use date of the battery. 

iOS 14.2 included a music recognition function allowing users to add songs to their Apple Music library or playlists. 

How to get the update 

iOS 17.4 update is compatible with iPhone devices newer than the iPhone X and the second generation of iPhone SE. 

To download the update, use the Settings app on your iPhone. 

Choose 'General' and then tap on 'Software Update'. 

The update may be gradually released in some locations, but customers in the UK and US should be prompted to download it. 

Ensure your battery level is at least 50% to start the download. 

Charging your phone while updating can be advisable to prevent it from losing power throughout the process. 

At least 8.2GB of available storage is required to initiate the upgrade, while the update will not use this space. 

You may save space by offloading applications under the 'Storage' settings, which will preserve the app's data online until you want to download it again.