iOS 17 is just around the corner and Apple engineers have to be working non-stop to get most of the new features ready for early developer betas. A few hours ago a new discovery in iOS 16.2 code which reveals that Apple is working on a way to limit or restrict features based on region where we meet This could make sense with the arrival of third-party stores in iOS and iPadOS 17 due to compliance with the DMA law of the European Union.
Apple prepares for the arrival of third-party stores
There are currently iOS and iPadOS features that are limited in some countries. One such example is the FaceTime service which is not available in the United Arab Emirates. These limitations are imposed by local legislative regulations and Apple is required to comply with them. They are fulfilled by means of the hardware itself and its origin or by linking the device to a specific region.
However, they are still methods cumbersome and it has been discovered that Apple works on a new system of limitation or restriction of functions. This has been discovered by the folks at 9to5mac in the iOS 16.2 code. This new technology, to call it somehow, has the name of «countryd» and is able to collect GPS information, Wi-Fi router country code and SIM information.
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The mixture of all this data allows Apple infer the location of the device. From then on, iOS and iPadOS may deploy or restrict some features that are prohibited or limited by local law. In this way, when that hardware travels to another location, that data will be collected again and the restrictions will be opened, leaving all those functions available that were not available before.
This new option allows Apple to prepare for the arrival of third-party app stores to comply with the regulations of the European Union. with this option They would only allow third-party stores to be installed in the European Union, leaving the rest of the world without this option. Only the hardware that was in a country of the European Union would have access to these functions and the rest would have limited access thanks to this new “countryd” option.