After an eternal (OK, only two months) wait, iOS 17.5 (and its siblings iPadOS 17.5, watchOS 10.5, macOS Sonoma 14.5, HomePod Software 17.5, and tvOS 17.5) are finally here! Here’s what it holds!
First, Apple News+ has a new game (along with an offline mode for Today and News+) called Quartiles, where you tap on tiles showing different parts of words to make words (you can use up to 4 tiles, and your words are scored based on the number of tiles you used. Also, once you use tiles, they don’t disappear, so you can use the tiles again). You don’t have to use Quartiles to have improved player information, though.
Next, the new software has a new mode to make preparing for a repair quicker by removing the disabling and usability hassle with a new “Remove This Device” button in Find My that, when pressed, says that you cannot remove your iPhone because it’s “linked to your Apple ID” but offers to put it in a state for repair.
After that, we have EU iPhone-specific support for letting a user download an app straight from the developer’s website (although the developer has to be part of the Apple Developer Program for at least two years straight and have >1 million initial iPhone app installs in the year before this action).
Then, we have (finally!!!) allowance for non-AirTag item trackers thanks to a partnership with Google (which includes tracking alerts, which do not care about whether the device connected to the tracking item tracker is iOS or Android).
You wouldn't believe it, but I'm almost done with the list! We just have a few more left. Mobile device management is now able to put a beta version during initial enrollment, and the new Podcast widget has colors to match the artwork of the current podcast. Finally, to finish off with the unsure, we have a code change in the beta of iOS 17.5 that might indicate battery health finally coming to the latest iPads, and another one for an option to "Block All Participants" in a group FaceTime, but neither are in the final versions.
Oh, and I forgot about the security fixes and bugs. 15 security fixes have come, but one related to alternative app marketplaces now causes another bug that stops a user from reinstalling an alternative app marketplace. Another bug (completely untouched by security fixes) is where photos that have long been deleted come back to the bottom of the list for new photos. Bye, and happy updating!
By Leo
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