You can use an iPhone or iPad almost anywhere in the world, but some iOS features are only available in specific places. In some cases, these restrictions are related to local regulations (such as FaceTime not being available in the UAE). 9to5Mac has now learned that Apple has been testing a new, more modern system hidden in iOS 16 to restrict features based on the user’s location.
iOS can restrict system features based on your location
Currently, Apple uses hard-coding techniques to restrict iOS features in specific locations. This means that most restrictions are simply tied to the region of a device, either by software settings or where that hardware comes from. But the company has been working on a new, smarter way to precisely determine the user’s location.
Based on our findings, the new system internally called “countryd” was silently added with iOS 16.2, but is not being actively used for anything so far. It combines multiple data such as current GPS location, country code from the Wi-Fi router, and information obtained from the SIM card to determine the country the user is in.
With all this information combined, it will become harder for users to bypass these restrictions, but at the same time easier for the device to automatically ignore them when you travel to another region. Code seen by 9to5Mac makes it clear that this system is designed to set restrictions determined by government regulators.
But why exactly is Apple developing this system? Well, we now have a clue.
Sideloading
Back in December, Bloomberg reported that Apple has been planning to allow sideloading on iOS for the first time due to pressure from the European Union. For those unfamiliar, sideloading is the process of installing third-party apps by alternative methods other than the official ones – in this case, the App Store.
But more recently, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that while Apple still has plans to allow sideloading with iOS 17, the feature won’t be available anywhere other than Europe. With the new “countryd” system, Apple will be able to easily determine if the device is being used in an EU country to allow sideloading.
Of course, if other countries also force Apple to allow sideloading, a simple update to this system should enable the feature in other regions. But bypassing sideloading in other regions won’t be as simple as changing the system settings or even buying an iPhone in Europe to use in the US, for example.
It’s still unclear how, or even if, Apple will announce sideloading as a new iOS feature. The company will unveil iOS 17 and other new versions of its operating systems in June at WWDC 2023.
On a related note, iOS 16.2 also revealed that Apple has been working on a new “Custom Accessibility Mode” for iPhone that may be officially announced with iOS 17.
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