iOS 17.2: Release date, features, iPhone compatibility

Image: Apple

With the beta cycle of iOS 17.2 over, there are several new features available to iPhone users. BGR compiled everything we know about this software update.

Beta 1 features

Journal app is here: Apple is finally making available the first version of the Journal app. Using on-device machine learning, it displays personalized suggestions that can inspire a user’s journal entry. Apple says that suggestions are intelligently curated from recent activity, including photos, people, places, workouts, and more, making it easy to start a journal entry, and scheduled notifications can help build a journaling habit.

Apple Fitness+ Audio Focus: It gives users the ability to prioritize the volume of the music or the trainers’ voices during an Apple Fitness+ workout.

Turn off Listening History on Apple Music: iOS 17.2 brings a Focus Filter, which lets you turn off the Listening History feature.

Favorite Apple Music Playlist: After iOS 17.1 added the ability to favorite songs, Apple created a Favorite Playlist with all your songs.

Action Button tweaks: Apple has added a Translate button as a new option for the iPhone 15 Pro’s Action Button (via iSoftware Updates).

iMessage Contact Key Verification: Contact key verification allows you to manually verify who you are messaging with by comparing contact verification codes in person or over the phone. Conversations with people who have contact key verification turned on also receive automatic advanced protections to help prevent even very sophisticated attackers from impersonating anyone in a conversation.

React to a message with any sticker: With iOS 17.2, you can react with any sticker or memoji to a message. Just long-press a text, select Add Sticker, and choose one.

Catch-up arrow: A catch-up arrow is again available in the Messages app so you can easily go to the last message you saw;

Memoji: There’s a new “Body” section for Memoji. You can customize the waist, bust, shoulders, and arms.

New TV app icons: Apple has revamped the bottom icons on the Apple TV app. More notably, the Apple TV+ section looks more prominent.

Beta 2 features and changes

Spatial video: With iOS 17.2 beta 2, iPhone 15 Pro users can record Spatial Videos, which can be seen in the upcoming Apple Vision Pro.

New Coverage section: Under Settings, there’s a new Coverage section showing if your iPhone/iPad is eligible or has an AppleCare+ warranty in addition to your Bluetooth devices. This feature was first available with macOS 14.1 (via @Johnthenormal).

New sections on App Store: The App Store now has a tab bar on top of the “Apps” and “Games” sections with different categories of apps (via @Johnthenormal).

Siri changes: Siri can now tell your estimated time of arrival when using Apple Maps.

Beta 3 features and changes

Here’s what’s new with iOS 17.2 beta 3:

Live Wallpaper: This category returns with a variety of background colors, including colored dots from the iPhone XR era.

New Settings: Apple added new settings for Apple Music’s Favorite Songs feature, NameDrop, and the ability to turn off Predictions Inline in the Keyboard section.

Beta 4 features and changes

Here’s what’s new with iOS 17.2 beta 4:

Apple Music Collaborative Playlists gone: As of beta 4, Apple removed all references for collaborative playlists. It’s unclear if the feature is going to be delayed or if the company will wait for another beta to re-release it.

Customize default notification: With this new beta, under Settings and Sounds & Haptics, you can customize the Default Alerts tone (via iSoftware Updates)

RC features and changes

With the RC version, Apple highlighted a few other changes, such as:

Qi2 support: Besides the iPhone 15 models, Qi2 support will be available for all iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models.

Enhanced AutoFill: This feature identifies fields in PDFs and other forms, enabling you to populate them with information such as names and addresses from your contacts.

Sensitive Content Warning for stickers: On Messages, it prevents you from being unexpectedly shown a sticker containing nudity.

Release notes

Although we named more features than Apple, here’s the release notes of iOS 17.2:

Journal

Journal is a new app that lets you write about the small moments and big events in your life so you can practice gratitude and improve your wellbeing
Journaling suggestions make it easy to remember your experiences by intelligently grouping your outings, photos, workouts, and more into moments you can add to your journal
Filters let you quickly find bookmarked entries or show entries with attachments so you can revisit and reflect on key moments in your life
Scheduled notifications help you keep a consistent journaling practice by reminding you to write on the days and time you choose
Option to lock your journal using Touch ID or Face ID
iCloud sync keeps your journal entries safe and encrypted on iCloud

Action Button

Translate option for the Action button on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max to quickly translate phrases or have a conversation with someone in another language

Camera

Spatial video lets you capture video on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max so you can relive your memories in three dimensions on Apple Vision Pro
Improved Telephoto camera focusing speed when capturing small faraway objects on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max

Messages

Catch-up arrow lets you easily jump to your first unread message in a conversation by tapping the arrow visible in the top-right corner
Add sticker option in the context menu lets you add a sticker directly to a bubble
Memoji updates include the ability to adjust the body shape of any Memoji
Contact Key Verification provides automatic alerts and Contact Verification Codes to help verify people facing extraordinary digital threats are messaging only with the people they intend

Weather

Precipitation amounts help you stay on top of rain and snow conditions for a given day over the next 10 days
New widgets let you choose from next-hour precipitation, daily forecast, sunrise and sunset times, and current conditions such as Air Quality, Feels Like, and wind speed
Wind map snapshot helps you quickly assess wind patterns and access the animated wind map overlay to prepare for forecasted wind conditions for the next 24 hours
Interactive moon calendar lets you easily visualize the phase of the moon on any day for the next month

This update also includes the following improvements and bug fixes:

Siri support for privately accessing and logging Health app data using your voice
AirDrop improvements including expanded contact sharing options and the ability to share boarding passes, movie tickets, and other eligible passes by bringing two iPhones together
Favorite Songs Playlist in Apple Music lets you quickly get back to the songs you mark as favorites
Use Listening History in Apple Music can be disabled in a Focus so music you listen to does not appear in Recently Played or influence your recommendations
A new Digital Clock Widget lets you quickly catch a glimpse of the time on your Home Screen and while in StandBy
Enhanced AutoFill identifies fields in PDFs and other forms enabling you to populate them with information such as names and addresses from your contacts
New keyboard layouts provide support for 8 Sámi languages
Sensitive Content Warning for stickers in Messages prevents you from being unexpectedly shown a sticker containing nudity
Qi2 charger support for all iPhone 13 models and iPhone 14 models
Fixes an issue that may prevent wireless charging in certain vehicles