8 ms·

> during iOS setup, don't pick Japan or the EU as your region (extra regulatory checks the VM can't satisfy) I'm curious what are these checks

rootnod3 19d ago
For Japan it might be the Felica chip.
- koito17 19d ago
  That would surprise me. I don't recall having to change my iPhone's region after moving to Japan. Transport IC cards in Apple Pay have "just worked". I am vaguely aware that some phone manufacturers silently remove certain NFC hardware (or disable some driver) in order to avoid paying Sony patent fees. Apple doesn't seem to do that, though.
  - robert-boehnke 18d ago
    There were iPhones with Japan-specific hardware for transit cards in the past but as of a couple years ago, all iPhones have been compatible.
    - numpad0 18d ago
      Only iPhone 7 had that limitation. 8 and later don't, and that was since like a decade ago.
benoau 19d ago
It will be to prevent access to third-party app stores as both the EU and Japan legislated they must be allowed. > In a support document about alternative app marketplaces in the EU, Apple explained that “device eligibility for alternative app marketplaces is determined using on-device processing with only an indicator of eligibility sent to Apple.” In practice, iOS users in the EU who want to install alternative marketplaces will need to set the country or region of their Apple ID to an eligible country or region. Moreover, they will also need to be physically located in supported EU countries. > In the case iOS users in the EU leave eligible regions, Apple will offer a “grace period” until apps downloaded from alternative app stores can no longer be updated. “If you’re gone for too long, you’ll lose access to some features, including installing new alternative app marketplaces. Apps you installed from alternative app marketplaces will continue to function, but they can’t be updated by the marketplace you downloaded it from,” the company explained. https://www.thurrott.com/apple/298862/apple-adds-some-conditions-for-using-alternative-app-stores-on-ios https://www.thurrott.com/apple/298862/apple-adds-some-condit...
- dingdongditchme 19d ago
  Wait so a third party app-store is allowed in the EU? I was not aware these even existed...
  - WhyNotHugo 8d ago
    The requirements for the third party app-stores are completely ridiculous and unreachable by 99% of the individuals and organisations out there. In practice, only vetted partners with huge resources can operate one.
  - aaronbrethorst 19d ago
    Since 2024: https://www.macstories.net/news/altstore-is-now-available-in-the-eu/ https://www.macstories.net/news/altstore-is-now-available-in... https://altstore.io https://altstore.io
    - DANmode 19d ago
      Any working way to spoof your locale to trick this into any form of usability?
      - aaronbrethorst 19d ago
        I have never tried. I'm sure there are some reddit threads about this though.
      - surajrmal 19d ago
        You need to fake the cell towers and change your accounts billing address. It's not trivial.
        cute_boi 18d ago
        changing account billing is easy, but how to simulate fake cell tower, is there no tools in amazon?
  - 19d ago
astafrig 19d ago
In addition to the third-party installation capability mentioned by siblings, Japan also has a regional capability for reassigning the side button to a third-party voice assistant (`com.apple.developer.side-button-access.allow`).
- ajaieadad9 19d ago
  I also found out the Chinese version has the ability to block an app for accessing both mobile data and Wifi/WLAN data. All other versions only allow denying mobile data to an app, not Wifi. I really wish there was a way to enable this feature.
  - TalkingCodeMonk 18d ago
    This is a strong indicator that Apple's privacy claims are little more than a virtue signal. Network sandboxing an app is arguably the strongest privacy protection measure possible.
    - throwawaysoxjje 17d ago
      Not really
  - tancop 18d ago
    Xiaomi phones support it in all regions. Think about it, a company famous for putting ads in system apps has the feature but "privacy conscious" Apple literally put in extra work to disable it everywhere it's not legally required.
    - close04 18d ago
      That iOS toggle isn’t about privacy but about mobile data usage. Users with data caps can limit the usage for non-essential or high data volume apps (streaming or cloud storage apps come to mind).
      - 18d ago
amelius 18d ago
I'm tired of Apple and its stupid rules, and its arrogant assumption that it is better than a democracy.
- close04 18d ago
  Companies have never been “democracies”. Most companies are more like dictatorships internally (for employees) and past a certain size also externally (for customers). Everything is dictated by a small group of leaders and shareholders not chosen by either employees or customers. If you really want to imagine them like democracies, you are voting with your wallet. Maybe you’re just in the minority.
  - amelius 18d ago
    Nobody said companies _are_ democracies ... you're reading something that is not there. The point is that Apple thinks it can somehow bend the rules of the EU that were established democratically. As if users are better off with Apple's rules.
    - qwytw 18d ago
      > bend the rules of the EU that were established democratically EU might occasionally get some things right but saying it's rules are "established democratically" is a slight stretch. It's a sort of a third degree democracy (that parliament is mostly imitative, has no real power and is easily manipulated) with all implementation details and most decision making being done by unelected bureaucrats.
      - amelius 17d ago
        Yes it is not perfect, but a company telling us where democracy is functioning or not is not a solution and if a company suggests it, that is arrogant and dumb.

rootnod3 19d ago

For Japan it might be the Felica chip.

koito17 19d ago
That would surprise me. I don't recall having to change my iPhone's region after moving to Japan. Transport IC cards in Apple Pay have "just worked". I am vaguely aware that some phone manufacturers silently remove certain NFC hardware (or disable some driver) in order to avoid paying Sony patent fees. Apple doesn't seem to do that, though.
- robert-boehnke 18d ago
  There were iPhones with Japan-specific hardware for transit cards in the past but as of a couple years ago, all iPhones have been compatible.
  - numpad0 18d ago
    Only iPhone 7 had that limitation. 8 and later don't, and that was since like a decade ago.

benoau 19d ago

It will be to prevent access to third-party app stores as both the EU and Japan legislated they must be allowed. > In a support document about alternative app marketplaces in the EU, Apple explained that “device eligibility for alternative app marketplaces is determined using on-device processing with only an indicator of eligibility sent to Apple.” In practice, iOS users in the EU who want to install alternative marketplaces will need to set the country or region of their Apple ID to an eligible country or region. Moreover, they will also need to be physically located in supported EU countries. > In the case iOS users in the EU leave eligible regions, Apple will offer a “grace period” until apps downloaded from alternative app stores can no longer be updated. “If you’re gone for too long, you’ll lose access to some features, including installing new alternative app marketplaces. Apps you installed from alternative app marketplaces will continue to function, but they can’t be updated by the marketplace you downloaded it from,” the company explained. https://www.thurrott.com/apple/298862/apple-adds-some-conditions-for-using-alternative-app-stores-on-ios https://www.thurrott.com/apple/298862/apple-adds-some-condit...

dingdongditchme 19d ago
Wait so a third party app-store is allowed in the EU? I was not aware these even existed...
- WhyNotHugo 8d ago
  The requirements for the third party app-stores are completely ridiculous and unreachable by 99% of the individuals and organisations out there. In practice, only vetted partners with huge resources can operate one.
- aaronbrethorst 19d ago
  Since 2024: https://www.macstories.net/news/altstore-is-now-available-in-the-eu/ https://www.macstories.net/news/altstore-is-now-available-in... https://altstore.io https://altstore.io
  - DANmode 19d ago
    Any working way to spoof your locale to trick this into any form of usability?
    - aaronbrethorst 19d ago
      I have never tried. I'm sure there are some reddit threads about this though.
    - surajrmal 19d ago
      You need to fake the cell towers and change your accounts billing address. It's not trivial.
      - cute_boi 18d ago
        changing account billing is easy, but how to simulate fake cell tower, is there no tools in amazon?
- 19d ago

astafrig 19d ago

In addition to the third-party installation capability mentioned by siblings, Japan also has a regional capability for reassigning the side button to a third-party voice assistant (`com.apple.developer.side-button-access.allow`).

ajaieadad9 19d ago
I also found out the Chinese version has the ability to block an app for accessing both mobile data and Wifi/WLAN data. All other versions only allow denying mobile data to an app, not Wifi. I really wish there was a way to enable this feature.
- TalkingCodeMonk 18d ago
  This is a strong indicator that Apple's privacy claims are little more than a virtue signal. Network sandboxing an app is arguably the strongest privacy protection measure possible.
  - throwawaysoxjje 17d ago
    Not really
- tancop 18d ago
  Xiaomi phones support it in all regions. Think about it, a company famous for putting ads in system apps has the feature but "privacy conscious" Apple literally put in extra work to disable it everywhere it's not legally required.
  - close04 18d ago
    That iOS toggle isn’t about privacy but about mobile data usage. Users with data caps can limit the usage for non-essential or high data volume apps (streaming or cloud storage apps come to mind).
    - 18d ago

amelius 18d ago

I'm tired of Apple and its stupid rules, and its arrogant assumption that it is better than a democracy.

close04 18d ago
Companies have never been “democracies”. Most companies are more like dictatorships internally (for employees) and past a certain size also externally (for customers). Everything is dictated by a small group of leaders and shareholders not chosen by either employees or customers. If you really want to imagine them like democracies, you are voting with your wallet. Maybe you’re just in the minority.
- amelius 18d ago
  Nobody said companies _are_ democracies ... you're reading something that is not there. The point is that Apple thinks it can somehow bend the rules of the EU that were established democratically. As if users are better off with Apple's rules.
  - qwytw 18d ago
    > bend the rules of the EU that were established democratically EU might occasionally get some things right but saying it's rules are "established democratically" is a slight stretch. It's a sort of a third degree democracy (that parliament is mostly imitative, has no real power and is easily manipulated) with all implementation details and most decision making being done by unelected bureaucrats.
    - amelius 17d ago
      Yes it is not perfect, but a company telling us where democracy is functioning or not is not a solution and if a company suggests it, that is arrogant and dumb.