5 Things to Know About the iOS 16.7.3 Update

Apple’s pushed a new iOS 16.7.3 update to iPhone users.

iOS 16.7.3 is the latest update for the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, the three iPhone models that got left behind on iOS 16. It’s also available if you own a newer iPhone and haven’t moved to iOS 17 yet.

The iOS 16.7.2 update isn’t big, and future iOS 16 updates won’t be either, but it delivers new security patches which makes it an extremely important update for iOS 16 users.

With that in mind, we want to walk you through everything you need to know about Apple’s iOS 16.7.3 software update for iPhone.

In this walkthrough we’ll take you through iOS 16.7.3’s changes, the software’s current performance, iOS 16.7.3 problems impacting iPhone users, the iOS 16 jailbreak status, and more.

We’ll start with some quick thoughts about iOS 16.7.3’s performance.

iOS 16.7.3 Review

If your iPhone’s currently running iOS 16.7.2, you’ll see the smallest download size. Unless your device is running low on storage, you won’t have to make room for the iOS 16.7.3 download.

As for the installation, it should take around 10 minutes or so to complete. It took just about eight minutes to install on an iPhone X that was previously running on iOS 16.7.2.

We’ve been using iOS 16.7.3 on an iPhone X for a few days now and performance is holding up nicely. Here’s what we’ve learned about the software’s performance thus far:

iOS 16.7.3 Battery Life & Connectivity

• Battery life is stable, we haven’t run into any abnormal battery drain
• Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable
• Bluetooth is working normally
• GPS and cellular data are working properly

App Performance

• Third-party apps like Hulu, Netflix, Twitter, Slack, Gmail, Chrome, and Spotify are all working fine
• First party apps like Safari and Podcasts are also running fine

Speed

• iOS 16.7.3 feels fast, we haven’t run into any abnormal lag, lockups, or freezes

If your iPhone is struggling with bugs and/or performance issues on iOS 16.7.2, or an older version of iOS 16, you might want to install the iOS 16.7.3 update on your iPhone right now.

If you need help making a decision, check out our reasons to, and not to, install iOS 16.7.3 on your iPhone.

iOS 16.7.3 Problems

iOS 16.7.3 went through testing behind the scenes at Apple, but the software is already causing problems for some iPhone users. Some issues are new, others have carried over from iOS 16.7.2 and other versions of iOS.

The current list of iOS 16.7.3 problems includes installation issues, abnormal battery drain, Face ID issues, broken Bluetooth, busted Wi-Fi, UI lag, Exchange issues, and problems with first and third-party apps.

If you run into a problem with iOS 16.7.3, take a look at our list of fixes for the most common iOS 16 problems. We’ve also released tips that could help you improve your iPhone’s performance and tips that could help fix bad battery life.

Apple’s currently signing on iOS 16.7.2 which means you can drop your iPhone’s software back to older software if iOS 16.7.3 starts causing problems. That being said, you can’t downgrade to anything older than iOS 16.7.2.

For more about the downgrade process, check out our guide.

iOS 16.7.3 Features

New versions of iOS 16 are focused on patching up issues within the operating system. Unsurprisingly, that’s what iOS 16.7.3’s focus is. Again, you don’t get any outward facing features.

The iOS 16.7.3 change log notes the software is focused on patching up security problems. You can learn more about iOS 16.7.3’s security contents over on Apple’s website.

iOS 16.7.3 Jailbreak

If you still jailbreak your iPhone(s), avoid the iOS 16.7.3 update.

Developers have released a jailbreak that works with older versions of iOS. Unfortunately, the jailbreak doesn’t work with iOS 16.7.3.

That could change down the road so keep an eye out.

What’s Next

We expect Apple to push new iOS 16 software to iPhone in the weeks and months ahead. Again, these updates will almost certainly focus on patching up security issues. We don’t expect future iOS 16 releases to deliver new features.

Apple will release new iOS 17 software in early 2024, probably in late January or early February. Don’t be surprised if new iOS 16 software rolls out alongside the next milestone upgrade for iOS 17.

[slides postid=494792]