Apple Seeds Third Public Beta of iOS 17.3 With Stolen Device Protection
Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 updates to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to test the software ahead of its release. The second public iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 betas come almost a month after Apple released the first betas. Note that while Apple is calling these the third betas of iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3, there was technically never a second public beta. Apple had to pull the second developer betas of iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3, and opted to go straight to the third beta rather than releasing an updated public beta version.
Public beta testers can get the beta by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 Public Beta. Signing up on Apple's beta testing website is required.
iOS 17.3 includes Stolen Device Protection, a feature that offers an extra layer of security in case your iPhone is stolen and the thief also obtains your passcode. With this turned on, Face ID or Touch ID authentication is required for viewing iCloud Keychain passwords, turning off Lost Mode, erasing an iPhone's contents, using saved payment methods in Safari, and more. There is no passcode entry option should Face ID or Touch ID fail.
Certain actions, such as changing an Apple ID password, updating a device passcode, turning off Find My, and removing Face ID require authentication and also a one-hour security delay.
The update also adds collaborative Apple Music playlists, a feature that lets Apple Music subscribers build playlists with friends, family members, and others who share their musical tastes. Any playlist can be turned into a collaborative playlist by tapping on the person-shaped icon and sharing the link.
Those who want to try it out in iOS 17.3 can click on the MacRumors playlist link to try adding a song.
We are expecting iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 to be released sometime in January.
Popular Stories
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017
"APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote.
Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April.
From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements.
While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way.
By the time the ...
Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices.
According to Korean publication ETNews, Apple is finalizing its component suppliers for the foldable iPhone, with the selection process expected to be completed...
Multiple iPhone owners today noticed a pronunciation processing issue that causes the word "Trump" to momentarily show up when using dictation to send a message with the word "racist."
In some cases, when speaking the word racist through the iPhone's built-in dictation feature, the iPhone briefly interprets the spoken word as "Trump" and "Trump" text shows up in the Messages app before being ...
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year.
The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time.
Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
Apple plans to launch a second-generation AirTag in May or June this year, according to a post today from a leaker known as Kosutami.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that a new AirTag would be released in mid-2025. May or June would align with that timeframe.
Below, we recap three new features rumored for the AirTag 2:
With a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, the...
The first beta of iOS 18.4 is now available, and it includes a small but useful change for CarPlay.
As we noted in our list of iOS 18.4 features, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra, which can be equipped...
