With the release of iOS 17.4, iPhone users in the EU can now use third-party app stores instead of the official Apple App Store. This change comes with a number of caveats, including the fact that it is only available if one lives in the EU. Users can continue to use third-party app stores after leaving the EU, but there is a grace period. However, there is no official confirmation as to how long this grace period will last.

In other words, if you leave the EU for more than 30 days, Apple will block access to the third-party store. You will still be able to use the apps you downloaded, but you will not be able to update them via the third party. This means you will have to use Apple's App Store.

It is unclear what will happen when they return to the EU. However, 9to5Mac previously reported on how Apple checks your device for sideloading eligibility, which involves checking which country you are physically located in, the address registered to your Apple ID, and the regional settings on your iPhone or iPad's Settings regional settings.

In other words, Apple should restore all of your third-party app store permissions as soon as you return home. However, we will have to wait and see how this system works in practice and whether there are any initial bugs that would prevent EU travelers from accessing non-Apple software.

In other words, you can't go to the EU and buy a third-party-enabled phone and then take it back to another part of the world, like the US or UK. Even if your Apple account was deemed eligible to access the third-party app store in the first place, you will not be able to access the third-party app store. They also probably would not be able to go to the EU and download third-party software onto their existing iPhones.

All points are moot since there is no third party app store available on iOS right now. Developers will have to wait for the time it takes to actually develop and release their apps through Apple's procedures. So far, the only confirmed third-party app store that has been built is Epic Games via Epic Sweden, whose iOS developer account has been removed.

Epic claims this is retaliation for Apple's attempt to publicly trash its DMA compliance plans. On the other hand, Apple's Phil Schiller told Epic in an email that this is a proactive measure because of Epic's history of breaking contracts with Apple.

The bottom line is that it will be some time before the first third-party iOS app store actually appears. And even then, it seems to me that the survival of third parties depends on maintaining a good relationship with Apple, which is already doing everything in its power to keep control of third-party installations.

Furthermore, if you live outside of the 27 countries that make up the EU, it doesn't matter what is or is not available. Unless your government follows the EU example and forces Apple to open up iOS in your region, nothing will change at all.

If you really need third-party apps right now, just get the best Android phone with no limitations. They have offered that capability since day one.