Surprise! iOS 17.4 update gave iPhone 12 users a much needed improvement

When Apple released iOS 17.4 earlier this month, it brought plenty of changes to iPhone handsets in the European Union where Apple was forced to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The update allows users with an iPhone purchased in one of the 27 EU member countries to sideload apps from a third-party app store, use non-WebKit browsers on the iPhone, pick a third-party mobile payment platform to use instead of Apple's, and pay for in-app purchases using a third-party payment processing platform. These are just a few of the changes that took place in the EU with iOS 17.4.

The update also added new options for those using the Stolen Device Protection feature; the latter protects iPhone owners by requiring them to verify their identity using Face ID or Touch ID to allow certain changes to be made to an iPhone. More sensitive changes, such as resetting Face ID, turning off the Find My app, changing the Apple ID password, changing the iPhone passcode, and disabling Stolen Device Protection requires identity verification by Face ID or Touch ID and a one-hour wait before the change is effected. The one-hour wait gives the iPhone user time to discover if his phone has been stolen allowing him to report the theft to Apple.

In iOS 17.4, Apple gave iPhone users the ability to have the Stolen Device Protection feature work at all times and all locations, work when away from a familiar location. or get turned off altogether. According to Macworld, the update also gave iPhone 12 users something that they probably didn't expect or might not have even known: faster 15W wireless charging from a non-MagSafe wireless charger that supports the Qi2 standard. Before the update, such chargers were limited to 7.5W wireless charging on the iPhone 12. 

The iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 lines received 15W support for non-MagSafe Qi2 wireless charging with the iOS 17.2 update and the iPhone 15 series launched with this right out of the box. Qi2 wireless charging, based on Apple's MagSafe charging capabilities, is the latest generation of wireless charging using standards approved by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC).