As you know, some iOS features may not be available in all regions. In part, these restrictions are due to local laws (for example, FaceTime is not available in the UAE). 9to5Mac Experts told What Apple is testing a new system hidden in iOS 16 to restrict device features based on the user’s location.

Apple currently uses hard-coding techniques to restrict iOS features in certain regions. This means that most of the restrictions are simply tied to the region of the device, either by software settings or by the source of the device. But the company is working on a new, more modern way to pinpoint a user’s location.

A new system internally called “countryd” was quietly added in iOS 16.2, but is not used anywhere yet. “countryd” combines several data – current GPS location, country code from the Wi-Fi router, and information received from the SIM card – to determine the country in which the user is located.

With all this information taken together, it will be more difficult for users to bypass restrictions, but at the same time, it will be easier for the device to ignore restrictions when traveling to another region. The code “countryd” indicates that the system is designed to activate locks set by government regulators.

Experts have suggested that Apple introduced the new feature due to the fact that the corporation is likely to be forced to allow downloading third-party applications (Sideloading) on ​​iOS due to pressure from the European Union. This feature is expected to arrive in iOS 17 and will only be available in Europe. With the new “countryd” system, Apple will be able to easily detect if a device is being used in an EU country in order to allow downloads from third-party sources.

Of course, if other countries will also force Apple to allow third-party app downloads , a simple iOS update should activate the feature in other regions. But getting around sideloading in other regions won’t be as easy as changing system settings or even buying an iPhone in Europe to use in other countries.

It is still unclear if Apple will add the ability to download apps from third-party sources as a new feature in iOS 17. We can only wait for the release of iOS 17 and other new versions of the Apple OS in June at WWDC 2023.