Apple recently released the iOS 17.2 public betaa move that allowed us to discover that with this update the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will now be able to start using the Space Video recording feature that was announced at the presentation of the current generation smartphone from Cupertino. and which is focused exclusively on the creation of 3D content that can be viewed on the already announced, but not yet available Apple Vision Pro.

This is a novelty that will be welcomed by a small part of users iOS 17.2 well, of course, it’s limited to a fairly small group of them, namely iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max owners who plan to buy the Apple Vision Pro when it goes on sale in early 2024, initially only in some Apple Stores in the United states. Statistically, I don’t know what percentage of the total users who are going to use iOS 17.2 will be affected, but it can be assumed that it will be a small amount.

However, there is another novelty that aims to have a much bigger impact, although it is true that it may arrive in stages and that, if it were not for surprises, it would only do so in some markets. And when they do, it will clearly not be because of the express wishes of the people of Cupertino, but because, frankly, they have no choice. I’m talking of course about the side loadthis means users are free to install apps from sources other than the App Store.

ONpple has always been against this model, according to what they say, because it offers a higher level of security for users, but let’s not be fooled, also because it guarantees complete control over what goes into iOS… with the revenue it generates. Apple can block third-party payment methods (those that don’t pay commission) in the App Store, but not in third-party stores or apps downloaded from other sources. And this, of course, entails the risk of losing a fairly significant part of the pie.

However, the Digital Markets Act, mandatory from March 2024, will change the rules of the game for Apple, which will be forced to allow downloading and installing applications from external sources into the Apple ecosystem. And it seems that iOS 17.2 may be a rather important step in this regard. We don’t know if this is the final one or an intermediate one, but the official documentation of the operating system tells us that there is progress in this regard.

Until now, the only means Apple has allowed apps to be installed on the iPhone have been the App Store and the TestFlight platform, both under its control. However, Managed App ships with iOS 17.2s, a feature that will allow the installation of applications with different origins than those listed above on devices managed in an MDM environment. Of course, this only applies in managed environments (this means that the device is not managed directly by its user, but by an administrator who is responsible for a fleet of devices, whether in a company, public institution, etc.).

Managed apps will debut with iOS 17.2 and will do so globally. This doesn’t necessarily mean sideloading will do it either, but in that sense it represents a fairly important advance, as it lays the technological foundation of an operating system that allows software from external repositories to be installed. And this is something where Apple has to step on the gas because time is running very fast and in fact March 2024 is just around the corner. Perhaps its release, which we assume will only happen in the European Union, is just waiting for the confirmation of the technology for the reliable geolocation of the iPhone and the blocking or unlocking of functions based on the user’s location.