Basically in the EU but I’m not

[Fionnybo]

Hi there!
We’ll not get too deep into the Irish politics - I live in Northern Ireland, with the Republic of Ireland just 20 minutes away. Northern Ireland is not in the EU, but the Republic is.
What would I have to do to get access to the EU specific features? I know they’re controversial, but I’d like to try them out.
Do I need to make a new Apple ID in the South/with VPN? Or is it more complex, requiring me to get an iPhone in a southern Apple Store?

Thanks in advance!

 

[okkibs]

The country is embedded in the model number. Every iPhone has a model number with a / at the end followed by 1-2 digits making up the country. That way you can see in which country an iPhone was sold. This model number is enforced in software so Apple will simply enable EU features in an iOS update for all models that were sold in a EU country.

You can check the country code in the model number in your iPhone settings (the About page).

There won't be any workaround or tricks, actual geolocation doesn't matter. If you have a model with a country code in the EU then you'll get EU features. If not you can sell the device and find one with the correct code to purchase although you might have to travel for it. The model number will be listed on a shop's product page or can be provided by the retailer if you ask them.

Your situation is going to be interesting because your country code should be B and it's used in the UK and in Ireland. Which will pose a problem and might require Apple to allow sideloading in the UK as well. I have no idea how they could resolve that. Maybe they already have different country codes now for newer models, not sure about that.

 

[Paddle1]

The country is embedded in the model number. Every iPhone has a model number with a / at the end followed by 1-2 digits making up the country. That way you can see in which country an iPhone was sold. This model number is enforced in software so Apple will simply enable EU features in an iOS update for all models that were sold in a EU country.

You can check the country code in the model number in your iPhone settings (the About page).

There won't be any workaround or tricks, actual geolocation doesn't matter. If you have a model with a country code in the EU then you'll get EU features. If not you can sell the device and find one with the correct code to purchase although you might have to travel for it. The model number will be listed on a shop's product page or can be provided by the retailer if you ask them.

Your situation is going to be interesting because your country code should be B and it's used in the UK and in Ireland. Which will pose a problem and might require Apple to allow sideloading in the UK as well. I have no idea how they could resolve that. Maybe they already have different country codes now for newer models, not sure about that.

Is that how they're doing it? What if someone is using a US model while in the EU?

 

[Fionnybo]

The country is embedded in the model number. Every iPhone has a model number with a / at the end followed by 1-2 digits making up the country. That way you can see in which country an iPhone was sold. This model number is enforced in software so Apple will simply enable EU features in an iOS update for all models that were sold in a EU country.

You can check the country code in the model number in your iPhone settings (the About page).

There won't be any workaround or tricks, actual geolocation doesn't matter. If you have a model with a country code in the EU then you'll get EU features. If not you can sell the device and find one with the correct code to purchase although you might have to travel for it. The model number will be listed on a shop's product page or can be provided by the retailer if you ask them.

Your situation is going to be interesting because your country code should be B and it's used in the UK and in Ireland. Which will pose a problem and might require Apple to allow sideloading in the UK as well. I have no idea how they could resolve that. Maybe they already have different country codes now for newer models, not sure about that.

Thanks for replying!
My country code is ‘A’, which is California, if I’m correct. Not sure where I fall now haha.

 

[TimFL1]

The country is embedded in the model number. Every iPhone has a model number with a / at the end followed by 1-2 digits making up the country. That way you can see in which country an iPhone was sold. This model number is enforced in software so Apple will simply enable EU features in an iOS update for all models that were sold in a EU country.

You can check the country code in the model number in your iPhone settings (the About page).

There won't be any workaround or tricks, actual geolocation doesn't matter. If you have a model with a country code in the EU then you'll get EU features. If not you can sell the device and find one with the correct code to purchase although you might have to travel for it. The model number will be listed on a shop's product page or can be provided by the retailer if you ask them.

Your situation is going to be interesting because your country code should be B and it's used in the UK and in Ireland. Which will pose a problem and might require Apple to allow sideloading in the UK as well. I have no idea how they could resolve that. Maybe they already have different country codes now for newer models, not sure about that.

They‘re not basing this on country codes in model numbers…

They‘ve introduced a yet to be used geolocation system in one of the previous updates that takes a plethora of information in to determine where a user is located at (wifi networks, cell networks, gps location, app store region and so on).

 

[Cobold]

They‘re not basing this on country codes in model numbers…

They‘ve introduced a yet to be used geolocation system in one of the previous updates that takes a plethora of information in to determine where a user is located at (wifi networks, cell networks, gps location, app store region and so on).

This!
The model number never playd any role.
I for example used a US iPhone X in Germany for years without having access to the news app that has never been released in Germany.

 

[DeanL]

The country is embedded in the model number. Every iPhone has a model number with a / at the end followed by 1-2 digits making up the country. That way you can see in which country an iPhone was sold. This model number is enforced in software so Apple will simply enable EU features in an iOS update for all models that were sold in a EU country.

This is all speculation and worth nothing. There are no alternative stores yet for anyone to be able to actually test the parameters that enable the EU feature.

And even if this were true, according to the site below, some UK and Ireland phones have the same model number.
In addition, my iPhone 15 bought in the UK is a "ZD" and it's listed as one also sold in EU countries.

iPhone Model and Country Code List

iPhone model and country / region list. A - Canada AA,AB - UAE, Saudi Arabia AE - UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia AH - Bahrain, Kuwait B - Great Britain or Ireland BZ - Brazil C - Canada CH - China CN - Slovakia СZ - Czech Republic D - Germany DN - Holland, Austria, Germany E -...

ask.irobinpro.com

Apple pretty much stopped using Model Numbers as a reliable indicator, especially in Europe where goods cross borders easily.

What would I have to do to get access to the EU specific features?

You'll have to wait actual user feedback. The beta wasn't even released for 24 hours and there doesn't seem to be a way to test the feature yet since there aren't approved marketplaces.
Watch this thread to see what people discover: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios-17-4-beta-1-bug-fixes-changes-and-improvements.2417419/

 

[okkibs]

This!
The model number never playd any role.
I for example used a US iPhone X in Germany for years without having access to the news app that has never been released in Germany.

It also takes the carrier into account. So if you were just visiting Germany for a while you'd have retained access to the news app.

 

[contacos]

This is some of the information that iOS checks to determine whether a device is eligible for sideloading and App Marketplaces, based on system reports and code seen by 9to5Mac:

• Apple ID billing address
• The user’s current location (apparently Apple is only checking the country and not a precise location for privacy reasons)
• The current region set in iOS settings
• The device class (whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, etc.)