5 Things to Know About the iOS 17.2.1 Update

Apple’s pushed a new iOS 17.2.1 update to iPhone users. If you own an iPhone that’s compatible with iOS 17, you can download the iOS 17.2.1 update on your device right now.

Unlike its predecessor, iOS 17.2.1 is a maintenance update and it delivers under-the-hood improvements to iOS 17-powered iPhone models.

It’s a small upgrade, but an important one, and most iPhone users should download the software today or at some point in the near future.

Today we want to take you through iOS 17.2.1’s changes, offer some thoughts about the software’s performance, highlight iOS 17.2.1 problems, and more.

We’ll start with a quick look at iOS 17.2.1’s performance.

iOS 17.2.1 Review

If your iPhone is currently running iOS 17.2, you’ll see the smallest download size. iOS 17.2.1 requires a 200MB download on iPhone 12 Pro. It should be in and around the same size for other iPhone models.

The exact size of the iOS 17.2.1 download depends on your iPhone model and the version of iOS it’s currently running. If you’re running software older than iOS 17.2, your download could be larger. In some cases, much larger.

It took about eight minutes to install on an iPhone 12 Pro that was previous running iOS 17.2. If your iPhone is running older iOS software, the installation could take longer.

For more about the iOS 17.2.1 download and installation, take a look at our walkthrough.

We’ve been using the iOS 17.2.1 update on an iPhone 12 Pro for several days now and we haven’t noticed any major issues with the firmware.

Here’s what we’ve learned about the software’s performance thus far:

iOS 17.2.1 Battery Life & Connectivity

• Battery life is stable
• Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable
• Bluetooth’s working normally
• GPS and cellular data are also working properly

App Performance

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

Speed

• iOS 17.2.1 feels fast, we haven’t noticed abnormal lag or lockups

If you’ve run into bugs and/or performance issues on iOS 17.2 or an older version of iOS, you should probably install the iOS 17.2.1 update on your iPhone today.

If you need help making a decision about the upgrade, check out our reasons to, and not to, install iOS 17.2.1 right now.

iOS 17.2.1 Problems

We haven’t run into any issues, but iOS 17.2.1 is causing problems for some iPhone users.

The current list of iOS 17.2.1 problems includes rapid battery drain, CarPlay issues, Bluetooth issues, Wi-Fi problems, Exchange issues, and problems with first and third-party apps.

If you run into an issue with the firmware, take a look at our list of fixes for the most common iOS 17 problems.

We’ve also released tips that could help you improve your phone’s performance and some tips that could help fix abnormal battery drain.

Apple recently stopped signing on iOS 17.2 which means you can’t drop your iPhone’s software back if iOS 17.2.1 starts causing problems. You can’t downgrade to anything older than iOS 17.2 either.

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

iOS 17.2.1 Features

Apple’s point updates (iOS x.x.x) usually bring fixes to the iPhone and that’s what iOS 17.2.1 brings to the table.

The upgrade delivers unnamed bug fixes to iPhone users in the United States, but it looks like it fixes battery drain issues in other countries.

iOS 17.2.1 doesn’t have any security patches on board.

iOS 17.2.1 Jailbreak

If you still jailbreak your iPhone, avoid the iOS 17.2.1 update

We don’t expect developers to release a public jailbreak tool that’s compatible with iOS 17, or iOS 17.2.1, today. If you still jailbreak your iPhone(s), keep an eye out for new information in the weeks ahead.

What’s Next

Apple’s currently working on a new iOS 17.3 update and the software should arrive in January or February.

If you can’t or don’t want to wait that long, you can download a pre-release version of iOS 17.3 onto your iPhone via one of Apple’s beta programs.

For more about the iOS 17.3 update, have a look at our walkthrough. And for more about the iOS 17.3 release date, check out our guide.

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