Apple has released iOS 17.1 for iPhone owners, which is the first major feature drop since the company launched the operating system last month.
The software update, which is available to download now, includes numerous new features and fixes. It expands the capabilities of AirDrop, the StandBy smart display feature, the Music app and more.
Users with compatible devices (iPhone XR and XS and up) can download the update by visiting Settings > General > Software update.
Here’s a run down of the new features…
AirDrop
The easy sharing tech just got a whole lot more useful. The Bluetooth-based transfers will continue over the internet, if one of the parties has stepped out of range, meaning Wi-Fi or cellular data will pick up the slack and ensure the transfer is completed.
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Music
Apple is adding a Spotify-like song suggestions list to the end of all playlists in Apple Music, making it easy to continue the vibe and expand the playlist with like-minded songs.
iOS 17.1 also expands favourites to ensure albums, songs, and playlists are represented. Perhaps more tellingly though, is the ability to only display favourites as a filter. Lastly Apple is rolling out a cover art collection, which “offers designs that change colours to reflect the music in your playlist.”
StandBy
One of iOS 17’s flagship features is StandBy, which offers an at-a-glance look at certain features on the device while it is being charged and oriented in landscape. Apple is expanding the functionality with new options to control when the display turns off. That means you won’t need to have it on all-night if you’re using it on a bedside table.
Bug fixes
iOS 17.1 fixes loads of bugs and makes a few improvements. They are listed from the release notes below.
- Option to choose a specific album to use with Photo Shuffle on the Lock Screen
- Home key support for Matter locks
- Improved reliability of Screen Time settings syncing across devices
- Fixes an issue that may cause the Significant Location privacy setting to reset when transferring an Apple Watch or pairing it for the first time
- Resolves an issue where the names of incoming callers may not appear when you are on another call
- Addresses an issue where custom and purchased ringtones may not appear as options for your text tone
- Fixes an issue that may cause the keyboard to be less responsive
- Crash detection optimizations (all iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models)
- Fixes an issue that may cause display image persistence
