October 3rd update found below. This post was first published on Tuesday, September 19th.
Apple’s confirmed a new iOS 17.1 update for iPhone and the software is currently in beta testing ahead of its official release later this year.
iOS 17.1 is a milestone upgrade, the first for iOS 17, and it will bring more than just bug fixes and security patches to iPhone users. It will deliver new features as well.
Apple hasn’t confirmed the iOS 17.1 release date yet and it will be a few weeks before it officially lands on iPhone. If you don’t want to wait for the stable release, you can try an early version of the software on your iPhone right now.
With iOS 17.1 in the works, we want to take you through everything there is to know about the first major iOS 17 update for iPhone.
In this walkthrough we’ll take you through the iOS 17.1 update’s known changes, what you can expect from the iOS 17.1 release date and release time, information about the iOS 17.1 beta, and more.
iOS 17.1 Beta
If you want to start using iOS 17.1 on your iPhone you can do so right now.
Apple’s pushed the iOS 17.1 beta to developers. The company’s also released a public version of the beta.
Before you download the iOS 17.1 beta, note that pre-release software is typically always plagued with bugs and performance issues.
These issues could impact the performance of your core apps, your iPhone’s battery life, and its overall speed which can make it tricky to use as a daily driver.
You should be able to fix some problems on your own, but some bugs and performance issues will probably require a fix from Apple down the road.
If you can’t stand the iOS 17.1 beta’s performance on your iPhone, you can downgrade back to iOS 17.0 or iOS 16.6.1. The downgrade path to older iOS firmware is closed.
iOS 17.1 Release Date
Apple hasn’t confirmed the iOS 17.1 release date, but it should arrive in October or early November.
For more about the iOS 17.1 release date, check out our guide.
iOS 17.1 Release Time
We don’t have an official iOS 17.1 release date yet, but we know exactly when Apple will roll the software out on the date it chooses.
The official version of iOS 17.1 will most likely arrive in and around 10AM Pacific. It sometimes takes a few minutes for iOS updates to show up so there’s no need to worry if you don’t see new software right away.
Apple will also release iOS 17.1 beta updates around 10AM Pacific as well. The company typically releases new betas every 1-2 weeks.
Keep this timeline in mind if you plan to install new iOS 17.1 betas, or the official version of iOS 17.1, right away.
iOS 17.1 Features
Apple’s milestone updates (x.x) almost always bring new features, enhancements, security patches, and bug fixes to iPhone users and that’s what you should get from iOS 17.1.
Developers are digging through the iOS 17.1 beta and they’ve a bunch of changes on board including new features and enhancements to older ones. Here are the highlights:
- You can favorite artists, songs, albums, and other items in the Apple Music app
- You can use the new NameDrop to exchange contact information via iPhone and an Apple Watch on watchOS 10
- A new Out of Range toggle for AirDrop that lets you continue to send and receive content when Wi-Fi is out of range
- iPhone users in the UK can now see bank card and credit card balance in the Wallet app
- Dynamic Island flashlight indicator for iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 Pro
- Reachability now has a black background on devices with Dynamic Island
Apple could add to, or subtract, from the iOS 17.1 beta as testing progresses and we’ll let you know if there are differences between the beta and the final release.
iOS 17.1 Jailbreak
If you still jailbreak, make sure you avoid the iOS 17.1 beta.
We don’t expect developers to release a tool that’s compatible with the iOS 17.1 beta. They haven’t released one for the official version of iOS 17 yet.
October 3rd Update: Apple’s released the second version of the iOS 17.1 beta. We’ll let you know if beta testers find anything new on board.
4 Reasons Not to Install iOS 17 & 11 Reasons You Should
Install iOS 17.0.2 for Better Security |
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If security is important to you, think about installing Apple’s iOS 17.0.2 update right away. iOS 17.0.2 itself doesn’t have any security patches on board. However, if you missed older versions of iOS, it will bring the patches from the updates you missed to your iPhone. iOS 17.0.1 delivered three important patches to iPhone. If you’re interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple’s security website. As for iOS 17 itself, it brought 40+ new security patches with it. A staggering number to say the least. If you want to learn more about them, head over to Apple. If you skipped older versions of iOS, like iOS 16.6.1, you’ll get the security patches from those updates with your iOS 17.0.2 update as well. In addition to those patches, iOS 17 brings some additional enhancements to privacy and security including improvements to Communication Safety beyond Messages. It now includes content sent by AirDrop, Contact Posters in the Phone app, FaceTime, and the systemwide photo picker. You now have an option to blur out sensitive photos and videos before you choose to view them. There’s also an expanded Lockdown Mode which will help protect you against cyber attacks. Apple’s also improved sharing permissions and you now have more control over what you share with the apps on your device. The company also notes that starting in iOS 17, Voice Memos encrypts the titles of recordings stored in iCloud, in addition to the recordings themselves. |
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