iOS 17.1 Beta 3 Brings Changes to the Wallet App and the iPhone 15 Pro Action Button

Apple today released the third beta of its upcoming iOS 17.1 update, which will be released later this month. The update brings a few changes to the iPhone Wallet app and the Action Button on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The Action Button

The latest beta of iOS 17.1 tweaks the functionality of the Action Button to prevent certain actions from being activated while the iPhone is in a pocket or bag. The update prevents the Flashlight, Camera, Focus, Magnifiers, and Voice Memo from activating if the Action Button is pressed when the iPhone’s proximity sensors detect that the front of the iPhone is face-down or pressed up against another object.

Actions such as the Mute function can still be activated while the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max is inside of a pocket with a long press of the Action Button.

Earlier releases of iOS 17 and iOS 17.1 allowed the Action Button functions to be accidentally activated while in a pocket or bag, draining the iPhone’s battery and causing unintended recordings and images.

While the Action Button has always required a long press to activate functions, several users complained of it unintentionally triggering functions while in a pocket.

Apple Wallet and Discover Cards

The iOS 17.1 beta 3 now allows US Discover card users who have added their cards to their Apple Wallet to view their total card balance and transaction history on their iPhones.

The transaction history and card balance features were added to the Wallet app as part of its Connected Cards feature, according to a report from 9to5Mac.

If users tap on one of the listed transactions in the Wallet app they will be taken to the Discover app or website for more information. This feature is currently limited to Discover card holders, as Apple must work with each individual US credit card provider or bank to put support in place.

While some credit cards have supported full transaction history in the past (American Express comes to mind), the total credit card balance has not been available.

The initial iOS 17.1 beta began allowing UK credit card users to view the account balances of their credit cards and bank cards in the Wallet app. Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Monzo, Starling, and RBS all support card balances in the Wallet app.

We will likely see Apple partner with more US credit card issuers and banks as the public release of iOS 17.1 grows near.

The release notes for iOS 17.1 Beta 3 say that now the update has been released, the Wallet app might crash on launch for some users who connect cards to bank accounts on iOS 17.1 Beta 1 and Beta 2. Apple says the fix is to update to iOS 17.1 Beta 3.

Also, the connection between a card and a bank account might unexpectedly be revoked. The workaround is to go to the Settings app, go to “Apple Pay & Wallet” -> “Connections,” and re-connect the card.