5 Things to Know About iOS 17.2 Right Now

Apple’s confirmed a new iOS 17.2 update for iPhone.

iOS 17.2 is a milestone upgrade, the second for the iPhone’s iOS 17 operating system, and it will bring more than just bug fixes and security patches to iPhone users. It will deliver new features as well.

Update: iOS 17.2 is live. For more about its performance and download, check out our guide.

Apple hasn’t confirmed the iOS 17.2 release date yet and it will stay in testing for a bit longer. If you don’t want to wait for the stable release, you can try an early version of the software on your iPhone today.

With iOS 17.2 in the works, we want to take you through everything there is to know about the next major iOS 17 update for iPhone.

In this walkthrough we’ll take you through the iOS 17.2 update’s known changes, what you can expect from the iOS 17.2 release date and release time, information about the beta, and more.

iOS 17.2 Beta

If you want to start using iOS 17.2 on your iPhone you can do so. Apple’s pushed the iOS 17.2 beta to developers and the general public.

Before you download the iOS 17.2 beta, note that pre-release software is typically always plagued with bugs and performance issues.

These issues could impact the performance of your core apps, your iPhone’s battery life, and its overall speed which can make it tricky to use as a daily driver.

You should be able to fix some problems on your own, but some bugs and performance issues may require a fix from Apple down the road.

If you can’t stand the iOS 17.2 beta’s performance on your iPhone, you can downgrade back to iOS 17.1.2 or iOS 17.1.1. The downgrade path to other iOS firmware is closed.

If you’re thinking about trying the beta, take a look at our guide. It goes over the best reasons to, and not to, install it on your iPhone.

Apple is currently on the iOS 17.2 beta Release Candidate (RC). This is the final version of the beta.

iOS 17.2 Release Date

Apple hasn’t confirmed the iOS 17.2 release date, but it will arrive December. iOS 16.2 and iOS 15.2 both arrived in mid-December, and that’s what we expect from iOS 17.2 right now.

Now that Apple’s on the final version of the iOS 17.2 beta, don’t be surprised if the official update drops next week.

iOS 17.2 Release Time

We don’t have an official iOS 17.2 release date yet, but we know exactly when Apple will roll the software out on the date it chooses.

The official version of iOS 17.2 will most likely arrive in and around 10AM Pacific. It sometimes takes a few minutes for iOS updates to show up so there’s no need to worry if you don’t see new software right away.

Keep this timeline in mind if you plan to install the official version of iOS 17.2 right away.

iOS 17.2 Features

Apple’s milestone updates (iOS x.x) typically bring new features, enhancements, security patches, and bug fixes to iPhone users and that’s what iOS 17.2 will bring to iPhone.

Here’s the full iOS 17.2 change log, courtesy of Apple:

Journal

• Journal is a new app that lets you write about the small moments and big events in your life so you can practice gratitude and improve your wellbeing
• Journaling suggestions make it easy to remember your experiences by intelligently grouping your outings, photos, workouts, and more into moments you can add to your journal
• Filters let you quickly find bookmarked entries or show entries with attachments so you can revisit and reflect on key moments in your life
• Scheduled notifications help you keep a consistent journaling practice by reminding you to write on the days and time you choose
• Option to lock your journal using Touch ID or Face ID
• iCloud sync keeps your journal entries safe and encrypted on iCloud

Action Button

• Translate option for the Action button on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max to quickly translate phrases or have a conversation with someone in another language

Camera

• Spatial video lets you capture video on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max so you can relive your memories in three dimensions on Apple Vision Pro
• Improved Telephoto camera focusing speed when capturing small faraway objects on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max

Messages

• Catch-up arrow lets you easily jump to your first unread message in a conversation by tapping the arrow visible in the top-right corner
• Add sticker option in the context menu lets you add a sticker directly to a bubble
• Memoji updates include the ability to adjust the body shape of any Memoji
• Contact Key Verification provides automatic alerts and Contact Verification Codes to help verify people facing extraordinary digital threats are messaging only with the people they intend

Weather

• Precipitation amounts help you stay on top of rain and snow conditions for a given day over the next 10 days
• New widgets let you choose from next-hour precipitation, daily forecast, sunrise and sunset times, and current conditions such as Air Quality, Feels Like, and wind speed
• Wind map snapshot helps you quickly assess wind patterns and access the animated wind map overlay to prepare for forecasted wind conditions for the next 24 hours
• Interactive moon calendar lets you easily visualize the phase of the moon on any day for the next month

Improvements and Bug Fixes

• Siri support for privately accessing and logging Health app data using your voice
• AirDrop improvements including expanded contact sharing options and the ability to share boarding passes, movie tickets, and other eligible passes by bringing two iPhones together
• Favorite Songs Playlist in Apple Music lets you quickly get back to the songs you mark as favorites
• Use Listening History in Apple Music can be disabled in a Focus so music you listen to does not appear in Recently Played or influence your recommendations
• A new Digital Clock Widget lets you quickly catch a glimpse of the time on your Home Screen and while in StandBy
• Enhanced AutoFill identifies fields in PDFs and other forms enabling you to populate them with information such as names and addresses from your contacts
• New keyboard layouts provide support for 8 Sámi languages
• Sensitive Content Warning for stickers in Messages prevents you from being unexpectedly shown a sticker containing nudity
• Qi2 charger support for all iPhone 13 models and iPhone 14 models
• Fixes an issue that may prevent wireless charging in certain vehicles

We also expect iOS 17.2 to deliver security patches to iPhone users. Apple will reveal those shortly after it pushes the software live.

iOS 17.2 Jailbreak

If you still jailbreak, make sure you avoid the iOS 17.2 beta.

We don’t expect developers to release a tool that’s compatible with the iOS 17.2 beta. They haven’t released one for the official version of iOS 17 yet.

We’ll let you know when we learn more.

Install iOS 17.4.1 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, think about installing Apple's iOS 17.4.1 update right away. The iOS 17.4.1 update includes two security patches. These patches will help keep your device and its data protected from harm. And that makes iOS 17.4.1 an important upgrade. If you missed iOS 17.4 and older software, you'll get the security patches from updates you missed when you upgrade to iOS 17.4.1. iOS 17.4 had four security patches on board.  The update also delivered quantum security protection for iMessage. The company says the upgrade gives iMessage "the strongest security properties of any at-scale messaging protocol in the world."  The iOS 17.3 update brought 15 new security patches to iPhone. The software also added Stolen Device Protection to iPhone. It increases the security of your iPhone and Apple ID by requiring Face ID or Touch ID to gain access to passwords, make purchases in Safari, and more. This is useful if someone gets access to your iPhone and its passcode.  iOS 17.2 delivered 10 new security patches to iPhone. If you wish to find out more, you can head on over to Apple's security site for the details. iOS 17.2 also included iMessage Contact Key Verification which improves the security of iMessage. The company also fixed an exploit that let the Flipper Zero multi-tool lock up iPhones. iOS 17.1.2 had two security patches on board. Both were related to WebKit. If you want to learn more, you can do so right here. iOS 17.1 brought 18 security fixes to iPhone. It addressed issues within Weather, Status Bar, WebKit, and more.  iOS 17.0.3 brought two patches for two security issues Apple identified within the software. If you want to read about the patches, head here. iOS 17.0.1 delivered three important patches to iPhone. If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's security website. As for iOS 17 itself, it brought 40+ new security patches with it. A staggering number to say the least. If you want to learn more about them, head over to Apple.  In addition to those patches, iOS 17 brings some additional enhancements to privacy and security including improvements to Communication Safety beyond Messages. It now includes content sent by AirDrop, Contact Posters in the Phone app, FaceTime, and the systemwide photo picker. You now have an option to blur out sensitive photos and videos before you choose to view them. There's also an expanded Lockdown Mode which will help protect you against cyber attacks. Apple's also improved sharing permissions and you now have more control over what you share with the apps on your device.  The company also notes that starting in iOS 17, Voice Memos encrypts the titles of recordings stored in iCloud, in addition to the recordings themselves. If you skipped older versions of iOS, you'll get the security patches from those updates with your iOS 17.4.1 update as well.

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