iOS 17

Apple introduced a clever new Screen Distance feature in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. iPhones and iPads with Face ID are now able to notify you when you may be using the device too close to your eyes. The idea is to detect and prevent eye strain for everyone while lowering the risk of nearsightedness in kids. But what if the feature is actually disrupting how you use your device?

Following many complaints about overheating issues affecting iPhone 15 Pro models, Apple released the iOS 17.0.3 update on Wednesday to address these issues. According to the company, the overheating was caused by software, not by hardware or design flaws. Apple also said that it wouldn’t reduce the A17 Pro chip’s performance with the update – but is that true? We tried to find out with some preliminary tests.

Apple on Wednesday released iOS 17.0.3 for iPhone users. Although the update doesn’t bring any new features, it fixes a bug that had been causing some iPhone models (especially the iPhone 15 Pro) to overheat more than usual. However, iOS 17.0.3 also comes with two important security fixes, including a fix for a breach that had been actively exploited.

As expected, Apple has released iOS 17.0.3 for iPhone users to address overheating concerns. This comes after Apple acknowledged the overheating problems last weekend, attributing the problem to software bugs rather than issues with the iPhone 15 Pro design.

iOS 17.1 beta 2 has arrived, coming one week after the release of the first beta. Today’s update includes some new changes to StandBy, and also the return of the ringtones that were included in iOS 17 but not in the first iOS 17.1 beta.

Head below for a rundown of everything new in iOS 17.1 beta 2…

The new Double Tap gesture for Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 is now available with the new watchOS beta seed released today.

Double Tap is activated by pinching together your index finger and thumb twice in compatible apps. This allows you to perform a contextually-relevant action in the active app without needing to tap the actual watch screen.

Last year, iOS 16 introduced a whole new world of dynamic lock screens to personalize your iPhone experience.

One of these options was the Photo Shuffle lock screen, which randomly cycled through images from your photo library. However, it was missing a critical point of customization that made it hard to use for most people. But thankfully, this functionality gap has now been filled with iOS 17.1 …

Apple has released iOS 17 to the public, and as noted, it’s a massive release with tons of new updates. To illustrate how jam-packed this iOS release is, I previously did a two-hour iOS 17 hands-on that meticulously stepped through everything new. In this latest hands-on video walkthrough, I discuss and showcase my favorite iOS 17 top changes and features for iPhone users.

This update covers what I believe to be the 20 core items that should convince everyone to make the jump from iOS 16, as if the batch of critical security fixes wasn’t enough.

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One of the new privacy improvements with iOS 17 is a fresh embedded Photos picker for third-party apps plus alerts about which apps have full access to your photo library. Follow along for how to limit iPhone Photos app access for apps with iOS 17.

Apple’s iOS 17 update includes so many new features that it’s hard to highlight each enhancement. One new thing that Apple is showcasing is an upgraded payments experience in the Wallet app.

Update: One day later, Apple has released public beta versions as well. The new update brings changes to Apple Music, AirDrop, and more.

Now that iOS 17 is the latest shipping software, Apple is ready to move on to iOS 17.1 for developer beta testers. The first iOS 17.1 beta is now available for iPhones with developer beta updates enabled.

The 23/24 winter season is around the corner in the Northern Hemisphere and ski and ride tracking app Slopes has a new update that brings a range of great new features. Here’s what’s new for Slopes alongside iOS 17 and watchOS 10.

On Wednesday, Apple released the first beta of iOS 17.1 to developers, as the company promised to bring some new features later this year. We’ve already covered most of what’s new in the iOS 17.1 beta here, but there’s another interesting change. With the update, Apple is bringing the flashlight indicator that appears on Dynamic Island to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 15.

I hope you enjoyed the two-week gap with no Apple betas, because we’re back on the grind today. iOS 17.1 beta 1 is here, and it includes a number of changes and new features. There are AirDrop updates, new Apple Music features, and more.

Apple is soft launching a new iPhone Wallet app integration today that is powered by the United Kingdom’s Open Banking API. The Wallet app will now be able to show the user’s current account balance from their bank, as well as a history of deposits and payments. The balances will also be shown inline when buying something with Apple Pay, helping users be more financially aware about whether they can responsibly afford the purchase.

This integration is rolling out first as part of the upcoming iOS 17.1 developer beta. It will be available to a subset of Wallet app users in the UK, who have an Apple Pay card associated with a supporting bank.

Security researchers have highlighted a couple of potential iCloud Keychain issues you may want to be aware of in iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma.

One is that upgrading may switch the feature on if you previously had it off, while the second arises if you have the feature enabled and then toggle it off …

Apple last week had to quickly release a software update for iPhone 15 models as users were experiencing issues when transferring data from one iPhone to another. While most users got the iOS 17.0.1 update last Thursday, those with iPhone 15 got iOS 17.0.2. Today, Apple is rolling out an updated build of iOS 17.0.2 – this time for all compatible iPhone models.

With iOS 17, Apple has introduced a new interface for its Podcasts app, which now has a new Now Playing screen, as well as more search filters and a better Up Next experience. The company also announced that third-party apps can now connect an App Store subscription to Podcasts. To take advantage of this, Apple Music radio shows are now available in the Apple Podcasts app.

After updating to the release version of iOS 17, some iPhone users are experiencing their existing privacy settings change without permission. Apple says it is investigating these reports. Here’s the latest.

John Giannandrea, Apple’s senior vice president of ML and AI strategy, took the stand this week to testify in the ongoing Department of Justice antitrust suit against Google. During his testimony, Giannandrea specifically pointed to a little-known new feature in iOS 17 related to the iPhone’s default search engine.

The Messages app gets a number of valuable upgrades with iOS 17. One of the big changes is the ability to create and place stickers including emoji, custom ones, and Live Stickers anywhere in a message. Follow along for how to make and use iPhone Messages stickers with iOS 17.