When Will iOS 17.5 Finally Be Available to the Public?

There’s no doubt that iOS 17.4 was a great update that brought quite a few features and improvements to the table. But now, its time is finally passing. 

Now, we all have our eyes on the next prize: iOS 17.5. This new update will bring some interesting new features and changes for nearly every iPhone user to enjoy. 

But when will this update drop exactly? Well, the good news is that it might be closer than we think. So get your backups ready, and read on to find out when iOS 17.5 will be available on your iPhone.

When Is iOS 17.5 Going to Be Released?

If you know Apple, you probably already know that the official answer is that nobody knows for sure when the next update is coming. The company doesn’t exactly announce the release date of minor software updates.

With that said, we already have a pretty good idea of when this update might drop.

For starters, we can look at previous releases of the “iOS X.5” software update. As 9to5Mac points out, both iOS 16.5 and iOS 15.5 were released around the same time: May 18, 2023, and May 16, 2022, respectively.

So, it seems mid-May might be a good moment to expect Apple to drop the software update. 

With that said, many people online believe that we might see iOS 17.5 as soon as next week. Apple is holding a big event on May 7 where it’s expected to unveil a whole new lineup of iPads. Since those will undoubtedly ship with iPadOS 17.5, this means that we could see a new software update on our iPhones anywhere between May 6 and May 10, with the May 7 date being the sweet spot for some speculators.

However, there’s an issue with this speculation. If Apple follows past trends, those iPads probably won’t go on sale for at least a few days after that. Plus, with four new iPads and even a new Apple Pencil, it seems pretty unlikely that Apple will try to overdo things by having too much going on all in one day. It seems more logical that Apple will wait a few days before it releases iOS 17.5.

What You Should Expect From iOS 17.5

As with every update, you can expect some new features on your iPhone, but iOS 17.5 is bringing quite a few to the table. Here are some of the most notable features that we expect to drop with iOS 17.5.

A New Game for Apple News+

One of the things that makes you want to subscribe to the New York Times is the amazing library of games available. Apple obviously knows this, which is why the company added some crossword puzzles in iOS 17. Now, it’s doing this again in iOS 17.5 with a new game to make Apple News+ even more enticing.

As you probably know, you can already play crossword games with your Apple News+ subscription, but with iOS 17.5, you’ll also have a new game called Quartiles.

This is a word game that will let you form words from a set of word fragment tiles on your screen. The more tiles you use, the more points you’ll score. If you find all five quartiles available in every game, you’ll get extra points.

Some Small Design Tweaks Are Coming Too

Apple is reportedly getting ready to change the design of iOS, and it’ll start with iOS 17.5. 

For now, the design chances are pretty minor. You’ll only notice that the icon of the Apple Books app will slightly change. Not only that, but the Apple Podcasts widget is also changing, and now it’ll change color dynamically based on the artwork of the podcast episode you’re listening to.

Yes, these are changes that you probably wouldn’t have noticed if we hadn’t told you about them. But all of this might be to get us ready for iOS 18. With this year’s big software update, Apple is rumored to change the design of iOS to make it look more like the design you’ll find on the Apple Vision Pro.

You’ll Be Able to Download Apps Directly From Websites in the EU

Another big change coming in iOS 17.5 will be the ability to download apps directly from the developer’s website. Apple will allow specific developers to use their websites to distribute their own apps. 

While not every app will be available, you should expect to see some big companies use this new distribution feature. 

Of course, this will only be available in the European Union because of the changes Apple was forced to make thanks to the Digital Markets Act. Still, if you’re part of the EU, you should be happy, as this could mean lower prices for some of your favorite apps.

Get Ready for iOS 17.5

We might have to wait one or two more weeks for a new software update, but one thing is for sure: iOS 17.5 is coming. 

If you want to try Apple’s latest features, you should prepare your iPhone for when Apple finally releases the public version of iOS 17.5. If you want your iPhone to do the heavy lifting for you, simply go to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates and enable iOS Updates so iOS 17.5 gets installed automatically.