Apple has simply rolled out a 3rd beta of iOS 17.3, together with accompanying betas of iPadOS 17.3, watchOS 10.3, and extra. This launch comes solely per week after a flawed second beta left some people with quickly bricked iPhones.
Whereas the issue didn’t have an effect on everybody — my iPhone has been working iOS 17.3 beta 2 for per week with none points — many people discovered their iPhones caught in a boot loop, necessitating a full wired restore to carry them again to life. The issue was widespread sufficient that Apple rapidly pulled that final iOS 17.3 beta only some hours after it was launched, skipping the general public beta totally.
Whereas we’re hoping Apple gained’t make the identical mistake twice, final week’s glitch means it’s possible you’ll wish to hesitate earlier than leaping into this third beta. After all, developer betas aren’t speculated to be put in on manufacturing gadgets anyway, and having to factory-restore a improvement machine needs to be par for the course for most people who’re testing new apps and options.
However, it’s a reasonably speedy third beta launch, which means that Apple is beginning to ramp issues up in preparation for a full public launch that might come by the top of this month.
That’s excellent news for anyone anticipating one in every of Apple’s greatest remaining iOS 17 options that didn’t fairly make the minimize for a 2023 launch.
Whereas Apple has delivered on nearly every little thing that it promised for iOS 17, one function, Collaborative Playlists in Apple Music, needed to be pulled from iOS 17.2 earlier than its last launch in December.
It returned only some days later within the first iOS 17.3 beta with some enjoyable new twists. It’s been working nice since December for anybody utilizing the iOS 17.3 betas, nevertheless it gained’t be accessible to the remainder of the world till the ultimate launch comes alongside.
Rumor has it that the function was absolutely prepared for iOS 17.2, however Apple had considerations about spammers making the most of it and wished to take a bit extra time to shore issues up.
The opposite huge function coming in iOS 17.3 is a brand new shock that may assist to guard your iPhone — and your complete id — from shoulder-surfing passcode thieves.
Dubbed Stolen Machine Safety, this function enables you to shut a considerably vital safety gap — “vital” insofar as safety usually must be traded off for comfort in the true world — by requiring Face ID or Contact ID authentication to alter delicate or important data in your iPhone or in your Apple ID.
In February 2023, a report within the Wall Road Journal revealed how criminals have been discovering individuals’s passcodes, stealing their iPhones, and subsequently utilizing that passcode to reset their Apple ID password and disable options like Discover My.
Whereas some argued that permitting an iPhone passcode for use to reset an Apple ID password is a nasty thought, it’s clearly an possibility that Apple feels is vital to assist customers rapidly regain entry to their iCloud accounts within the occasion they overlook their password — which isn’t laborious contemplating how seldom most individuals use it as soon as their iPhone and different Apple gadgets are arrange.
As an alternative of disabling this function, Apple is tightening it up for many who need an additional layer of safety. Whereas the Stolen Machine Safety function will likely be optionally available, as soon as enabled, further safety steps will make sure that solely the true you are able to do issues like reset your Apple ID password, flip off Discover My, disable Face ID, or change fee data.
As an alternative of requiring solely your passcode in these instances, Stolen Machine Safety would require that you just authenticate with Face ID or Contact ID earlier than continuing. Since a thief isn’t more likely to have your face or fingerprints, they gained’t be capable of lock you out of your Apple ID or drop your iPhone off the map.
Plus, iOS 17.3 will implement a one-hour delay when attempting to alter this data away from a trusted location like your own home. On this case, you’ll must authenticate as soon as with Face ID or Contact ID to begin the method after which wait an hour and authenticate once more earlier than the change goes via. This makes certain your iPhone continues to be in your possession.