Just after the release of iOS 17.1, Apple began beta testing on iOS 17.2. While iOS 17.1 introduced some of the “coming later this year” features of iOS 17, there are still a few to come, and we expect iOS 17.2 to include some of them.
The biggest one is the Journal app, which Apple announced at WWDC and is included in iOS 17.2. We’re also still waiting on collaborative playlists in Apple Music, PDF form autofill, and a few other odds and ends.
What’s new in iOS 17.2
With the first beta just released, we don’t know yet what all the changes are. We’ll continue to update this section as we discover more.
Journal app: The Apple life-journaling app is included in iOS 17.2. You can record and reflect on your daily life and activities, with on-device machine learning helping to choose what to write about and pick photos, music listened to, and more.
iMessage Contact Key Verification: Made for users who face “extraordinary digital threats” such as journalists, human rights activists, and government officials, this is a new method by which users can verify the person with whom they are messaging.
Translate Action button: The Action button on iPhone 15 Pro has a new Translate option.
Collaborative playlists: Open a playlist in Apple Music, tap the collaborate button at the top to invite friends to join.
Favorite Songs playlist: A new Favorite Songs playlist in Apple Music will pull together all the songs you have marked as Favorite.
Weather and Clock widgets: There are three new widgets for the Weather app and one for the Clock app (the first digital clock widget Apple has made).
Reactions in Messages: You can now react to iMessages with any emoji or sticker. Just long-press the message and choose “add sticker.”
iOS 17.1: How to install the public beta
If you want to be among the first to test iOS 17, you can sign up for the public beta test. The process for installing a beta has changed in iOS 16.4. Here’s how the new process works now:
- Click Sign Up on the Apple Beta page and register with your Apple ID.
- Log in to the Beta Software Program.
- Click Enroll your iOS device.
- Open the Settings app, tap General, then Software Update.
- In the Beta Updates section, select the iOS Public Beta.
It may take a few moments after registering for the beta option to appear in Software Update.
iOS 17.1: How to install the developer beta
You’ll need to be registered as an Apple developer. Beginning with iOS 17, you don’t need to be in the $99 per year developer program to access the developer beta. A free developer account will do. You can get one via Xcode or the Apple Developer app in iOS. Here’s how to do it via the Apple Developer app:
- Download the Apple Developer App from the App Store.
- Open the app.
- Tap on Account.
- Sign in using your usual Apple ID.
If you want to sell applications to the App Store you’ll need to pay $99/£79 per year for a paid account. Sign up for the Apple Developer Program (here) or through Apple’s Developer App. You can compare the free and paid accounts here.
Registered developers can choose to get the Public Beta instead by selecting iOS Public Beta in the Software Update screen. It may take a little time after registering as a developer for the option to appear in Software Updates.
Some developers have an Apple ID registered for developer access that is different from the Apple ID associated with their personal Apple account and data. To use a different Apple ID for beta access than is used throughout the rest of iOS, open Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates and select the Apple ID at the bottom of the screen.
Find out everything you need to know about iOS 17 in our iOS 17 superguide.
