Apple releases iOS 17.5 with app installs from the web and improved anti-stalking measures

Apple has released a new iOS 17 beta, having released iOS 17.4.1 to all iPhones late last month. This time, the company has moved onto iOS 17.5, which introduces a feature that Apple detailed in mid-March. Specifically, it is now possible to download apps directly from developer websites, bringing iOS into line with Android and macOS in this regard.

Thus, it would seem that all compatible iPhones will soon receive this feature. However, this will only be true in the European Union (EU) and for developers that have had an Apple developer account for two years with over a million recorded app downloads in the last year. Additionally, Apple further restricts its app download volume to those downloaded in the EU. As a result, most smaller developers must continue to distribute their apps through an app store. On top of that, Apple's Core Technology Fee will still be due on all app installations initiated through developer websites.

Until now, iPhones have been able to detect an AirTag (curr. $84.99 for 4 on Amazon) or a similar tracker that uses the Find My network even if it has not been paired. Apple hopes to expand this capability to trackers that do not rely upon its tracker network with iOS 17.5, thereby reducing the chance of someone monitoring your movements without consent. Moreover, iOS 17.5 Beta 1 can also provide links to the respective manufacturer websites to explain the deactivation process. Seemingly, this all comes in the wake of Apple and Google developing a common anti-stalking standard for trackers, for which Chipolo, Eufy, Samsung and Tile have expressed an interest in joining too.