Features of iOS 17.5: New to This Version of iOS

Features of iOS 17.5: New to This Version of iOS. The most recent version of iOS, 17.5, was just released by Apple. For iPhone users in the EU, it introduces several significant improvements, but for those outside the EU, it delivers some minor upgrades. We have compiled all of the updates made to iOS 17.5 on this page.

App Downloads From Websites (EU Only)

With iOS 17.5, developers can now offer their apps for download directly on their websites, which is excellent news for the European Union. If you own an iPhone, you can bypass the App Store and download iOS apps directly from websites that support them.

Like the new alternative app markets introduced in iOS 17.4, this feature is exclusive to the iPhone and can only be utilized in the European Union. Apps cannot be made available for download unless the developer has been a part of the Apple Developer Program for at least two years and has had over one million first installs on iOS in the previous year.

There is no commission to pay Apple. However, there is a Core Technology Fee of 0.50 euros. All programs downloaded onto iPhones from websites must undergo Apple’s notarization process. While this feature is currently exclusive to the iPhone, it will be available on the iPad later this year, according to Apple.

Apple News+

Thanks to the app’s offline mode, you can now see Apple News+’s Today feed and the News+ page even when you don’t have a cellular or Wi-Fi connection. A new word game called Quartiles is available on Apple News+ every day. Players score points by forming sentences out of matching tiles. Only users with a paid ‌Apple News‌+ subscription can access Quartiles.

Apple News+ Puzzles’ scoreboard has updated player statistics for Quartiles, Mini Crossword, and Crossword. Like the New York Times game app, players may view their numbers and streaks over time.

Third-Party Item Tracker Alerts

Apple has been working on a feature that allows third-party item trackers since last year, and it is now available in iOS 17.5. As of iOS 17.5, users will be notified if a third-party tracker is nearby, thanks to a cross-platform solution that Apple and Google created for unwanted tracking alerts. You can turn off this item’s location sharing with the owner. “Just follow the manufacturer’s website instructions to do this,” reads the code in the update.

In the release notes, Apple mentions that Cross-Platform Tracking Detection has been developed to alert consumers when an unauthorized Bluetooth tracker is in their possession, irrespective of the operating system the device is linked with. In April, when Cross-Platform Tracking Detection was initially released, Google debuted its Android-based Find My Device network.

Repair State

You can now send your iPhone in for service without deactivating Find My and Activation Lock, thanks to a repair state option in iOS 17.5. You can place your device into repair mode with an iPhone by selecting the new “Remove This Device” option in Find My. Turning off Find My has always required sending an iPhone in for repair. This is Apple’s approach to ensuring the customer is the device’s rightful owner of another iPhone in the repair shop. Thanks to the repair state option, you can still use the Find My feature to keep tabs on it. While an iPhone is in the repair state, it will display “Ready for Repair” in the Find My Device area and continue to work usually.

Podcast Widget

The Podcasts widget that can be added to the Home Screen or the Lock screen now features a background that changes depending on the art of the podcast being played.

Mobile Device Management

MDM solutions can enforce a beta version during automated device enrollment. Automated device enrollment is designed to simplify initial device setup.

Code Changes

We discovered some code changes in the iOS 17.5 beta that could be related to an iPad battery health feature that could be accessible on the newest iPads. Since battery health has not yet been announced as a feature in iPadOS 17.5, it is unclear when it will be accessible.

Following in the footsteps of the iPhone’s Battery Health menu, an iPad’s equivalent would most likely display the number of charge cycles and maximum resting capacity. An additional feature that was mentioned—a “Block All Participants” option—for group FaceTime calls, which might be used to prevent spam—has also not been incorporated.

More on iOS 17

A full rundown on all of the features that are available in iOS 17 can be found in our iOS 17 roundup.