The 4 iOS 17.5 Features We’re Most Excited About
We're only a few days away from Apple finally releasing iOS 17.5 to the public. But even before that happens, we already have a pretty good idea of what the new software update has in store.
Thanks to the final Release Candidate (RC) of iOS 17.5 that came out earlier this week, we're almost 100% sure of what we'll get once the update finally drops.
Even though this update includes some minor changes, there are still a few things that we are excited about. These range from extra security for people afraid of being tracked to a completely new game for people who love news and words.
With iOS 17.5 just around the corner, read on for four new things we can't wait to try — even if we won't be able to try all of them.
New Anti-Tracking Protection
Tracking devices are incredible tools for keeping tabs on your stuff. You'll never forget to bring your bag with you, and if you do, you'll know exactly where you left it.
That said, some people have misused these accessories to track people instead of things, which has led to many security concerns.
Fortunately, it seems iOS 17.5 will bring a solution for third-party trackers, similar to what Apple did with its own AirTag.
According to code found in the iOS 17.5 beta new anti-tracking features will alert you if there is an unknown third-party tracker near you. You'll also be able to get more information about the tracker and even disable it if you want.
This is part of an ongoing partnership between Apple, Google, and other big tech companies to make trackers more secure for people.
A New Repair State Mode in the Find My App
Currently, whenever you take your iPhone in for repair, either to an Apple Store or another place, you'll need to turn off Find My so your iPhone doesn't think someone stole it from you.
To make this more complicated, if you're using Stolen Device Protection, you may need to wait an hour before you can turn off Find My iPhone since your local Apple Store likely isn't considered a trusted location for changing key security settings.
Doing this isn't just annoying, but it also leaves your iPhone vulnerable in case you forget to turn these features back on.
Luckily, that won't be necessary with iOS 17.5, thanks to a new Repair State mode in the Find My app. Enabling this will confirm with repair technicians that you're the legitimate owner of your iPhone and leave Find My enabled while turning off features that might get in the way of their work.
Install Apps Directly From a Website (EU Only)
This is by far one of the coolest features coming to iOS 17.5, but it's also sad that most iPhone users worldwide won't be able to use it.
We're talking about the ability to download apps directly from third-party websites. That's right; you won't need to go to the App Store to find and install your favorite apps.
This is all thanks to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which basically forced Apple to loosen its control over the App Store by, among other things, letting users install apps from different websites.
Unfortunately, this feature won't be available for every app on the App Store, so don't expect your favorite small indie dev team to use it — unless, of course, they're really popular.
Developers will need to meet some requirements to host apps on their websites, including having an app with more than one million installs on iOS in the EU in the prior year.
Still, this is the beginning of a huge change in the App Store, so it's exciting to see developers have a little bit more freedom. Hopefully, those of us outside the EU will get to experience it first-hand in the future.
A Brand New Game Is Coming to Apple News+
When you think of Apple News+, you probably don't think about games. But Apple is trying to change that to make your subscription a better value.
In addition to a new offline reading mode, Apple News+ now includes word games. That started in iOS 17 with crossword puzzles, and now iOS 17.5 adds a new and creative game called Quartiles.
This is a word game in which you have a certain number of tiles, and you need to use them to form words. You'll get a new puzzle every day, and your overall goal is to score as many points as you can. The more tiles you combine to form a word, the more points you get. And if you manage to find all five quartiles — which are worth eight points each — you'll also get a bonus of 40 extra points.
