iOS 17.2, the second iterative update to iOS 17, is now available for download on any iPhone newer than the iPhone XR (if you haven’t already, here’s how to download iOS 17).
This next version to Apple’s massively popular operating system arrives less than two months following iOS 17.1, and adds additional changes to core iPhone functionality (think iMessage and the Action Button), as well as a slew of entirely new apps (hello, Journal!).
Here are seven of the coolest iOS 17.2 features to try right now.
The Journal application
The most notable feature in iOS 17.2 is a completely new app called Journal, which essentially turns your iPhone into a memory-collecting diary. It allows you to save your daily thoughts as text, photographs, videos, or even voice. However, using on-device machine learning, the app will also generate personalized suggestions and prompts, pushing you to capture your ideas based on recent images, workouts, places you’ve been, and more.
All Journal entries sync to iCloud, allowing you to view the same notes on other Apple devices, and the program also allows you to lock and designate particularly critical entries. Are you still not convinced? Allow Josie Watson, TechRadar’s Lifestyle Managing Editor, to explain why Apple’s Journal app is the blogging revolution you’ve been waiting for.
New Action Button Configurations
With the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple added the customisable Action Button, which has already shown to be a tremendously beneficial addition to the iPhone arsenal (here are five handy things the Action Button can do). However, iOS 17.2 adds further functionality to the Action Button in the form of Translate.
With the push of a button, your iPhone may now launch a translation session on the Dynamic Island, allowing you to swiftly translate foreign phrases without having to launch the full-fledged Translate app (or any rival translation program). Because everything is done on-device using the iPhone’s Neural Engine, you don’t have to worry about your voice being uploaded to Apple’s servers. Vamos!
Capture of spatial video
iOS 17.2 brings a few useful camera improvements to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, such as faster telephoto camera focusing, but the biggest new feature is the ability to record 3D spatial videos on your iPhone, in preparation for Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro headset.
Essentially, you can now capture 3D footage with only your iPhone’s primary and ultra wide cameras, which can then be seen in as many dimensions as you like using Apple’s first mixed-reality headset.
Of course, you won’t be able to view these videos in their intended 3D environment just yet, because the Vision Pro headset hasn’t launched – it’s expected to arrive in early 2024 – but with iOS 17.2, Apple is nonetheless giving iPhone users the opportunity the lay the groundwork for its imminent $3,499 product.
Please contact Key Verification
Contact Key Verification (CKV), first mentioned by Apple in December 2022, finally makes its public debut in iOS 17.2. This new security feature, according to the business, enables “users who face extraordinary digital threats – such as journalists, human rights activists, and members of government – [the option] to further verify that they are messaging only with the people they intend.”
In other words, in addition to end-to-end encryption, iMessage now adds an additional layer of protection that makes it more difficult for snoopers to eavesdrop on your communications.
iOS 17.2, the second iterative update to iOS 17, is now available for download on any iPhone newer than the iPhone XR (if you haven’t already, here’s how to download iOS 17).
This next version to Apple’s massively popular operating system arrives less than two months following iOS 17.1, and adds additional changes to core iPhone functionality (think iMessage and the Action Button), as well as a slew of entirely new apps (hello, Journal!).
Here are seven of the coolest iOS 17.2 features to try right now.
Updates to iMessage
The Messages app has also been upgraded in a number of other ways. A catch-up arrow (located in the top-right corner of a message thread) now allows you to quickly navigate to your first unread message in a conversation, and a new sticker option in the context menu allows you to add a sticker straight to a bubble. You can also change the shape of your Memoji’s body.
Updates to the weather app
In terms of weather, iOS 17.2 adds a few useful upgrades to Apple’s weather app. Precipitation amounts now provide hourly rain and snow conditions for the next ten days, and new widgets include next-hour precipitation, daily forecast, dawn and sunset times, and current conditions like Air Quality, Feels Like, and wind speed.
Wind map snapshot allows you to rapidly examine wind patterns and access the animated wind map overlay to better prepare for expected wind conditions, and the interactive moon calendar allows you to instantly visualize the phase of the moon on any day for the following month.
AirDrop enhancements
AirDrop capability appears to be getting better with each incremental iOS version, and iOS 17.2 is no exception. By putting two iPhones together and using Apple’s Bluetooth sharing feature, you can now exchange boarding passes, movie tickets, and other qualified passes.
