Lower than per week after Apple released its second iOS 17.2 beta, the corporate pushed out a 3rd beta to registered builders yesterday, with a public beta prone to observe someday immediately.
When beta cycles slim, it’s an excellent signal a public launch is getting close to. Whereas Apple hasn’t introduced a particular timeframe for this one, it did promise that a few of the options it allows, equivalent to Spatial Video Capture for the iPhone 15 Pro and the new Journal app, could be delivered by the tip of 2023.
Meaning a December launch, and with the vacation season, the primary half of December is way extra seemingly, notably since Apple tends to close down its improvement groups over the vacations, making it a really unhealthy time to launch an replace that would probably trigger issues that have to be patched.
Equally, subsequent week’s US Thanksgiving season will in all probability have Apple’s engineers off having fun with some well-deserved turkey, so getting a 3rd beta into circulation early ought to assist transfer issues alongside.
What’s Coming in iOS 17.2?
We already know from the first iOS 17.2 beta in late October that iOS 17.2 will ship the promised Journal app, together with Collaborative Playlists in Apple Music and iMessage Contact Key Verification. Whereas that final function has been pending since final December, it’s additionally not a excessive precedence for most people; it’s usually of curiosity solely to those that have a excessive sufficient profile to be vulnerable to state-sponsored assaults — these undertaken by organizations that additionally deploy malware such as Pegasus.
Whereas the primary beta of iOS 17.2 set the stage for the numerous “tentpole” options that will likely be coming, the second beta added some good refinements, together with increasing Sensitive Content Warnings to cowl Contact Posters and iMessage Stickers and Journalling Suggestions that tie into your different iPhone apps to supply prompts to get you began recording your ideas. Whereas these solely seem in Apple’s new Journal app, that is an open API that third-party builders like Day One may even have the ability to make the most of.
What’s New in iOS 17.3 Beta 3?
Unsurprisingly, the third beta of iOS 17.3 doesn’t add any massive new options both, but it surely does provide a number of fascinating tweaks to allow you to customise what’s already there. Right here’s what’s new:
Flip Off Inline Predictions for the Keyboard
Apple added inline predictive text to the keyboard in iOS 17, mechanically suggesting extra phrases whereas typing. It’s a helpful function for a lot of of us, however you discovered it extra annoying than useful, the one approach to disable it was to close off autocorrect completely.
Fortunately, iOS 17.2 will change that with a separate swap in Settings > Normal > Keyboard that allows you to select whether or not to “Present Predictions Inline.” Toggle this off, and your iPhone will cease attempting to complete your sentences for you.
Routinely Add Favorite Songs to a Playlist in Apple Music
With iOS 17.1, Apple shifted from letting you “Love” songs to marking them as “Favorites.” This opened the door to different new options, equivalent to a favorites playlist and the power to filter your library to indicate solely your faves.
Beforehand, marking a track with a coronary heart would enhance your music suggestions in Hear Now, however that was about it. Now, favoriting an merchandise additionally provides that track, playlist, or artist to your library. That sounds cheap, but it surely might not be what everybody desires, so iOS 17.2 will allow you to flip this function off. It may be discovered as a toggle labeled “Add Favourite Songs” in Settings > Music.
The Images App Now Respects the Privateness of Your Apple Music Library
The Images app has lengthy been capable of pull tunes from Apple Music to supply background music for the Reminiscences slideshows it creates. Nonetheless, now with iOS 17.2, it’s going to do the well mannered factor and ask earlier than it accesses your Apple Music library.
This exhibits up the primary time you open Images in iOS 17.2 beta 3, and after you reply, Images will seem as an entry beneath Settings > Privateness > Media & Apple Music that may be toggled on and off.
Whereas it’s not clear if Picture Reminiscences used any private information from Apple Music up to now — the general Apple Music catalog actually isn’t personal info — toggling the swap in iOS 17.2 will reduce off all Apple Music entry, reverting all reminiscences to utilizing the royalty-free tracks which might be obtainable by default.