iOS 17.2: new features, improvements, and security fixes

iOS 17.2: new features, improvements, and security fixes

Apple's approach to development of iOS is to release major updates once a year. In addition, they drop smaller ones every now and then, most of them remedying bugs and vulnerabilities. Coming very much on the heels of 17.1.2c, iOS 17.2 is a mixture of everything: there are new features, improvements, and fixes in this update. The list below scoops everything noteworthy.

iOS 17.2: new features

The following insights cover only the highlights, i.e., those new features and improvements of the previously available ones that deliver a major user experience boost, provide enhancements of the respective app and/or function, or make things even more Apple, so to say. If you want a full list of what was changed or added in iOS 17.2, click this link to browse to the official page describing the update.

Journal app

Announced as part of iOS 17, Journal is an app enabling users to log their thoughts and activities on-the-go. Being an innovative company, Apple couldn’t make it just another scratchpad, so the developer augmented the app with prompts to inspire users (optional, can be switched off).

Spatial videos

This is a future-proofing feature that lets owners of iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max record spatial (read 3D) videos. Why future-proofing? The headset capable of showing such videos in all their magnificence, Vision Pro, hits the market only in the next year.

Translate with Action Button

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max owners have one more option for the action button, Translate, which, when active, triggers a pop-up with translation of what’s said to the phone&rsquo's mic. The languages for this feature are set in the Translate app.

Siri's access to Health app data

Siri gets deeper integration with the OS: it can now grab data from the Health app and, consequently, answer questions about the number of steps made in a day, heart rate, etc., which makes the assistant even more useful.

AirDrop sharing Wallet contents

This one is pretty nifty: with iOS 17.2, you can share what’s inside your Waller – tickets, boarding passes, etc., – with another iPhone owner who’s updated to the said version of the OS by simply bringing the phones next to one another and following on-screen instructions. The process is very simple and straightforward.

iMessage Contact Key Verification

This feature was announced in December 2022 as a security measure for those facing "extraordinary digital threats," i.e., people who need as much communication privacy as possible. iMessage Contact Key Verification virtually removes the possibility to snoop on conversations by providing trustworthy confirmation of identity of the person you are talking to. Applicable in iMessage and FaceTime.

iOS 17.2: improvements

Improved Telephoto Focusing Speed

iPhone 15 pro max cams. Snapshot from Apple online store

This one is for the latest iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models. There was a slight delay with properly focusing on objects that were located at a far distance previously. However, this issue has now been rectified in the new update, as iOS 17.2 promptly fixes that.

Favorites list in Apple Music

Rather obvious, and yet implemented only in iOS 17.2: whatever you like in Apple Music now gets into a special Favorites playlist.

Listening History switch

Every now and then you give your iPhone to someone so they could listen to music thereon. Previously, such generosity meant slightly messed up recommendations. iOS 17.2 addresses the problem with a switch that disables Listening History.

FaceTime warnings

If there is a contact you've blocked previously in a conversation you’re about to join, FaceTime will warn you about that. The same applies to situations when such a contact wants to join a meeting you are part of.

Weather app enhancements

Weather app now shows rainfall for the upcoming 10 days, plus a wind map for 24 hours, and moon phase. Weather widgets inform of UV index, air quality, wind speed, and chance of rain.

PDF autofill

Very convenient: iOS 17.2 helps fill PDF forms by deciphering what’s needed in the respective fields and putting it there.

iOS 17.2: security patches

Being quite open about the sensitive topic of security updates, Apple urges everyone to update as soon as possible. The reason behind this sort of insistence is a dozen patches that close vulnerabilities posing serious threats to users. This is a rather large number of such fixes for a release not labeled as a security update, so if you have updating iOS on your to-do list, move it up to top positions.