After weeks of beta testing, the new iOS 17.1 is finally available to everyone. The latest update includes several new features, improvements, and security fixes like Apple Music Favorites, AirDrop over a cellular connection, StandBy settings, limiting iPhone 12 radiation in France, and more.
Top 10 features in iOS 17.1 which are likely to improve your iPhone experience
- Limits iPhone 12 radiation in France in compliance with the country’s SAR standards. Calling iPhone 12 radiation levels “unsafe”, France was threatening to ban it in the country. Apple later explained that iPhone 12 has always been safe to use but a change in France’s SAR testing caused the issue.
- Apple Music Favorites feature lets you favorite a song and creates a playlist.
- NameDrop between iPhone and Apple Watch is added in iOS 17.1 and watchOS 10.1.
- Use Cellular Data option is available for AirDrop to continue file transfer when out of Bluetooth range and Wi-Fi coverage.
- Settings app updated StandBy with the new Display section for iPhones with Always-On Display which shows new ‘Turn Display Off’ options: Automatically, After 20 Seconds, and Never, along with Night Mode and Motion to Wake options.
- Lock Screen wallpapers add new “Albums” in the Photo Shuffle feature. It allows you to any album as the photo carousel on the Lock Screen.
- Dynamic Island, on all compatible iPhone models, displays Flash Light animation when it is turned on. Previously, it was only working on iPhone 15 models.
- Reachability now shows an all black background to conceal the notch cutout on the top of the screen and give a more seamless look.
- New ringtones and textones are available in the latest update, along with custom ringtones.
- Action button launch time is delayed in iPhone 15 Pro models to prevent accidental triggers. The button is less reactive and takes a second or two longer to launch an action.
Furthermore, here are additional features that will be useful for some users:
- Battery Section in iPhone 15 shows how much battery apps have consumers for a device charged via its USB-C port.
- Support for Nintendo Switch N64 controller
- Connected cards support in the Wallet app for users in the UK. It shows their current account balance from credit and debit cards. The app also shows users’ history of deposits and payments and shows the balance in line when purchasing with Apple Pay.
Bug fixes in iOS 17.1
The update fixed multiple bugs with Remote widgets, SKAdNetwork, Widget Kit, StoreKit, and iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro overheating issues, and the camera in iPhone 15 Pro.
Devices compatible with iOS 17.1
- iPhone 15 series
- iPhone 14 series
- iPhone 13 series
- iPhone 12 series
- iPhone 11 series
- iPhone Xs, Xs Max, and Xr.
- iPhone SE 2
It must be kept in mind that all features are not available on all compatible devices.
