5 Things to Know About the iOS 17.3 Update [u]

Apple’s pulled its iOS 17.3 update from beta testing and the software is available to download right now.

Unlike the previous version of iOS 17 (iOS 17.2.1), iOS 17.3 is a milestone upgrade, the third for the iPhone’s iOS 17 operating system.

This means the software brings more than just bug fixes and security patches to iPhone users. It delivers new features as well.

In this guide we’ll outline iOS 17.3’s changes, offer some thoughts about the software’s performance, go over the current list of  problems plaguing the software, highlight the iOS 17 jailbreak status, and more.

We’ll start with a quick look at iOS 17.3’s performance.

iOS 17.3 Review

If your iPhone’s running iOS 17.2.1, you’ll see the smallest iOS 17.3 download size. The download is around 600MB. Unless your iPhone is running low on storage, you won’t have to make room for the download.

The exact iOS 17.3 download size depends on your iPhone model and the version of iOS it’s currently running. It could be larger than 600MB because if you skipped previous versions of iOS, iOS 17.3 brings the changes from the updates you skipped.

As for the installation, it took about eight minutes to complete on an iPhone 12 Pro. Mileage will vary, but it should take around the same for most iPhone models.

For more about the iOS 17.3 download and installation, take a look at our walkthrough.

We’ve been using iOS 17.3 on an iPhone 12 Pro for several days now and its performance is holding up well:

iOS 17.3 Battery Life & Connectivity

• Battery life is stable, we haven’t noticed any abnormal drain
• Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable
• Bluetooth is 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 17.3 feels fast and we haven’t noticed abnormal lag, lockups, or freezes

If you’re dealing with bugs and/or performance issues on iOS 17.2.1, or an older version of iOS, you should install the iOS 17.3 update on your iPhone today.

If you need help making a decision, check out our reasons to, and not to, install iOS 17.3 right now.

iOS 17.3 Problems

iOS 17.3 went through an extensive testing process, but the firmware’s still causing problems for some iPhone users.

The current list of problems includes Wi-Fi issues, random reboots, abnormal battery drain, Bluetooth issues, installation issues, Exchange issues, and problems with first and third-party apps.

If you run into trouble on iOS 17.3, 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 battery life issues.

Apple recently stopped signing on iOS 17.2.1 which means you can’t drop your iPhone’s software back to older software if iOS 17.3 starts causing problems.

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

iOS 17.3 Features

Apple’s milestone updates (iOS x.x) usually bring new features, enhancements, security patches, and bug fixes to iPhone users and that’s what you’ll get from iOS 17.3.

Here are all of the changes on board iOS 17.3:

Stolen Device Protection

• Stolen Device Protection increases security of iPhone and Apple ID by requiring Face ID or Touch ID with no passcode fallback to perform certain actions
• Security Delay requires Face ID or Touch ID, an hour wait, and then an additional successful biometric authentication before sensitive operations like changing device passcode or Apple ID password can be performed

Lock Screen

• New Unity wallpaper honors Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month

Music

• Collaborate on playlists allows you to invite friends to join your playlist and everyone can add, reorder, and remove songs
• Emoji reactions can be added to any track in a collaborative playlist

Improvements

• AirPlay hotel support lets you stream content directly to the TV in your room in select hotels
• AppleCare & Warranty in Settings shows your coverage for all devices signed in with your Apple ID
• Crash detection optimizations (all iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models)

On top of that, iOS 17.3 delivers security upgrades to iPhone users as well. You can learn more about these upgrades over on Apple’s security site.

One other note: Apple’s iOS 17.2 update removed the option to buy movies and television shows from the iTunes Store applications. If you try to do it, you will get redirected to the Apple TV application.

iOS 17.2 also removed wishlists for movies and TV shows. The company made this change without warning.

Fortunately, Apple has reversed course and iOS 17.3 has brought this functionality back to the iTunes Store app and iPhone.

iOS 17.3 Jailbreak

If you still jailbreak, make sure you avoid the iOS 17.3 update.

We don’t expect developers to release a tool that’s compatible with the iOS 17.3 today and it’s unclear if we’ll see compatibility down the road.

We’ll let you know when we learn more.

What’s Next

Apple’s confirmed iOS 17.4 and the software is currently in beta testing ahead of its release later on this year.

Like iOS 17.3, iOS 17.4 is a milestone release and it carries a number of changes, among them, new emoji characters for the iPhone’s keyboard.

The iOS 17.4 release date is expected to land in early March. We don’t have a specific date yet, but look for it to arrive the week of March 4th.

For more about iOS 17.4 and its changes, have a look at our walkthrough.

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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