Top Stories: iOS 17.2 Released, iPhone 16 Design Leaks, and More

We're into the thick of the holiday season now, and Apple has been busy wrapping up its software work for 2023 with this week's public release of iOS 17.2, macOS Sonoma 14.2, and other updates, plus the first round of betas for iOS 17.3 and friends.

top stories 16dec2023
On the hardware side, Apple released a standalone USB-C case for AirPods Pro 2 owners looking to make the switch from their original Lightning case, while we shared some details on Apple's design work for next year's iPhone 16, so read on for all the details on these stories and more!

What's New in iOS 17.2

After around six weeks of beta testing and refinement, Apple this week officially released iOS 17.2 and related updates for its other platforms.

iOS 17
iOS 17.2 is a fairly substantial update that brings the new Journal app first previewed at WWDC back in June, spatial recording capabilities for iPhone 15 Pro ahead of the Vision Pro headset launch in early 2024, a new Translate option for the Action button on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, Music app improvements, and more.

The update also moves TV show and movie purchases out of the iTunes Store app and over to the TV app.

Top Five Features in macOS Sonoma 14.2

Alongside iOS 17.2, Apple also released macOS Sonoma 14.2 this week, and it brings a number of updates and new features, including Messages improvements like a catch-up arrow for busy conversations and quicker access to sticker reactions.

macOS 14
Other top additions in macOS 14.2 include new AutoFill capabilities for PDFs, new Weather widgets for the Mac desktop, support for multiple timers in the Clock app, and Shazam music recognition improvements.

Check out our video for more on these new features!

iOS 17.3 Beta Adds New Stolen Device Protection Feature to iPhone

With iOS 17.2 and related updates out the door, Apple has moved on to beta testing for the next round of updates, led by iOS 17.3.

ios stolen device protection
iOS 17.3 includes an optional new Stolen Device Protection feature that is designed to add an additional layer of security in the event someone has stolen your iPhone and also obtained the device's passcode.

The update also brings back a collaborative Apple Music playlists feature that was in early betas of iOS 17.2 but pulled prior to public release. The feature lets multiple people contribute to a single playlist, complete with animated emoji reactions to express how you feel about certain songs.

iPhone 16 Early Prototypes: What Apple's Next-Generation iPhone Will Look Like

With the launch of the iPhone 15, Apple introduced design changes like a curved frame and a frosted glass back. Information acquired by MacRumors suggests that Apple's next-generation iPhone 16 will build on these updates with modifications to the buttons and the camera layout.

iPhone 16 Mock Back 1
We have details on early pre-production designs for the ‌iPhone 16‌, including a look at the variants and hardware configurations that Apple has considered so far. Our information comes early in the design process, so things have yet to be finalized, but it's interesting to see the designs Apple has been considering.

Apple Now Selling Standalone USB-C AirPods Pro Case for $99

Apple this week began selling a MagSafe USB-C AirPods Pro 2 Case on a standalone basis for $99, allowing customers who own the Lightning charging case to upgrade to USB-C.

airpods pro yellow
Apple introduced a new version of the ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 with USB-C Charging Case in September, but at the time, there was no option to buy a USB-C case on its own. Customers with the Lightning-based ‌AirPods Pro‌ 2 had no upgrade path, but those who want to have USB-C charging across all of their devices can now pay a $99 fee to get the new version.

Apple Expands Self Service Repair in Europe, Now Covers iPhone 15 and M2 Macs

Apple has been gradually expanding its Self Service Repair program that allows customers and independent repair shops to obtain authorized parts and tools, and this week saw another significant expansion.

Apple Self Service Mac Repair August 2022
The iPhone 15 lineup and M2-powered Macs are now included in the program, while users in 24 additional European countries are now eligible to participate. Finally, users in the U.S. now have access to Apple Diagnostics to help test devices and identify parts that may need repair.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
ipad air magic keyboard feature

iPadOS 19 Rumored to Show Mac-Like Menu Bar When Connected to Magic Keyboard

Thursday April 24, 2025 12:09 pm PDT by
When an iPad running iPadOS 19 is connected to a Magic Keyboard, a macOS-like menu bar will appear on the screen, according to the leaker Majin Bu. This change would further blur the lines between the iPad and the Mac. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously claimed that iPadOS 19 will be "more like macOS," with unspecified improvements to productivity, multitasking, and app window management,...
top stories 2025 04 26

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Air Rumors, Apple Watch Turns 10, and More

Saturday April 26, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
We've known for quite some time about Apple's plans for a thinner "iPhone 17 Air" coming later this year, but wow, the latest dummy models give us our best look yet at just how thin this phone is going to be. Other Apple news and rumors this week included another iOS 18.5 beta, the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch launch, and more management reshuffling in Apple's Siri division, so read...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...

Top Rated Comments

Jimmy Bubbles Avatar
18 months ago
I love the new watchOS 10.2 “feature” (or bug) that when you swipe between watch faces, the time temporarily shows 10:09:30.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JosephAW Avatar
18 months ago
Finally took the plunge on my 14 Pro, noticed two things: they finally fixed the delayed keyboard bug introduced in 16.3 and I had a bugger of a time getting hotspot to work with my Apple TV, rebooted everything and it didn't work at all through my Wi-Fi repeater and directly connecting to my hotspot still would give me no internet and I noticed that the default IP address is for hotspot changed it now starts with 192 where before it was 172 so something changed on the back and they still don't have the bugs worked out but eventually I got it to work directly.
Also I've had several problems with location sharing in iMessage with several users including one family share member, apparently if you don't have two form authentication on you can no longer see someone's location in iMessage but still works in Find My, probably another bug fix.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lizzard899 Avatar
18 months ago

Finally took the plunge on my 14 Pro, noticed two things: they finally fixed the delayed keyboard bug introduced in 16.3 and I had a bugger of a time getting hotspot to work with my Apple TV, rebooted everything and it didn't work at all through my Wi-Fi repeater and directly connecting to my hotspot still would give me no internet and I noticed that the default IP address is for hotspot changed it now starts with 192 where before it was 172 so something changed on the back and they still don't have the bugs worked out but eventually I got it to work directly.
Also I've had several problems with location sharing in iMessage with several users including one family share member, apparently if you don't have two form authentication on you can no longer see someone's location in iMessage but still works in Find My, probably another bug fix.
Yea I found when I got my new phone I went from iphone 8 to iphone se 3rd generation. I found that not all the settings I had on my iphone 8 switched over to my new phone when I restored from backup. Theres some things in my settings that NOW apparently require 2fa which I didnt know about. But Now Im used to those settings being off because I dont have 2fa turned on. My only issue now is them deleting texts on the server end. I manually delete my texts and Ive been told by apple that it takes up to 4 days to be deleted on the server end....sometimes 180 days. Now all of a sudden after I updated to ios 17.2 on monday my backup storage has increased from 55mb-58mb because Im thinking the texts Ive deleted arent deleted on the server end. Its like theres a glitch on the server end. Which I was told happens sometimes and it usually fixes itself everntually.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JosephAW Avatar
18 months ago

Oh yeah everyones saying that, but I dont do siri. I have that off. If you go to this link on apple thats a thread I started listing all the known bugs in icloud in ios 17.2 https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255347772?sortBy=best
Reboot fixed the sound. I must've rebooted five times in the last day.o_O
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
18 months ago

They need to focus on fixing the iclouds backup bug. My icloud backup keeps increasing instead of decreasing AFTER Ive deleted texts etc. ALSO next backup size isn't showing up either.
Are you sure they aren’t still in Trash or similar? That could explain the size increase.

Apart from that, I agree that iCloud services often behave in buggy ways.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TruthAboveAllElse Avatar
18 months ago

They need to focus on fixing the iclouds backup bug. My icloud backup keeps increasing instead of decreasing AFTER Ive deleted texts etc. ALSO next backup size isn't showing up either. AND the messages in icloud feature, that toggle wont turn on. This only started happening on ios 17.2

Are you sure they aren’t still in Trash or similar? That could explain the size increase.

Apart from that, I agree that iCloud services often behave in buggy ways.
I've had this happen to me before. I've found Apple's services to be quite buggy. If you contact Apple Support they can usually fix this though. (They did fix it for me.)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)