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Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers in October. Since then we've seen two more betas, and with each iteration Apple continues to add more new features and changes, many of which users have been anticipating for quite a while.

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Below, we've listed 26 new things that are coming to your iPhone when the finalized version is publicly released in December.

1. Help You Keep a Daily Journal

Your iPhone will soon be able to act as your personal journaling companion, thanks to Apple's new Journal app. Apple originally announced it was releasing a Journal app as part of iOS 17, and it's finally coming in iOS 17.2.

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The Journal app has a simple, straightforward interface. When you open it up, you're presented with a "+" button, and tapping on it lets you start a new entry. Journal entries are automatically dated, and you can bookmark your favorite ones. Entries can include images, voice recordings, and location tags, so not only will you have the ability to create and maintain a daily journal, you'll be able to easily record your thoughts, experiences, and memories with your iPhone.

2. Set a Journaling Schedule

Staying consistent with journaling can be difficult, but your iPhone can make it a lot easier with the new Journal app's scheduling feature, which can be found in Settings ➝ Journal.

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The scheduling option isn't just a reminder – it's about building a habit. So whether it's a gentle reminder notification that you need in the morning or a prompt before bed, you can adapt the feature to your personal routine.

3. Offer Journaling Suggestions

When you first open the Journal app, you can decide what information it can pull from your phone for writing suggestions. Options include workout activity, media like podcasts and music, photos, and significant locations. You can control which apps and services appear using the switches in the Settings app under Privacy & Security ➝ Journaling Suggestions.

journal-suggestions.jpg

Here, there are also settings to prefer suggestions with others when you're around your contacts or large groups, and to be discoverable by others to help prioritize the suggestions of other people. If you don't like suggestions in general, you can simply turn them off (Settings ➝ Journal ➝ Skip Journaling Suggestions).

4. Give Journaling Prompts

If you have a serious case of writer's block, iOS 17.2 can offer you entry prompts in the form of "reflections." These reflections are designed to inspire and guide you, providing ideas and topics to explore in each entry.

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The reflections can vary from thought-provoking questions to creative writing cues, and if the one you're offered doesn't get your gears turning, you can tap a button to generate a new one.

5. Secure Your Journal

Privacy and security are paramount when it comes to personal journaling. That's why iOS 17.2 introduces enhanced security features, including encryption and password protection, to safeguard your journal from unauthorized access.

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The option can be found in the Settings app under Journal ➝ Lock Journal, and it allows you to use your device passcode, Face ID or Touch ID, providing peace of mind every time you record sensitive or personal information.

6. Translate with a Button Press

Overcome communication barriers with the new custom Translation option for the Action button in iOS 17.2. With just a button press, your iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max will be able to translate live conversations into multiple languages. The feature should be a boon for travelers, students, and anyone learning a language.

iPhone-15-Pro-Action-Button-Translate.jpg

You can choose which language the speech should be translated into in the Translate app. According to Apple, the translation is not just accurate but also context-aware, ensuring that nuances and colloquialisms are captured effectively.

7. Show Detailed Weather Forecasts on Home Screen

The update includes new Details, Daily Forecast, and Sunrise/Sunset widgets for the Weather widget, providing more of the kind of information that you would normally only find by going into the Weather app.

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Details shows information like precipitation chance, UV index, wind speed, and air quality, while Daily Forecast offers the weather for the next few days in a small widget size. Sunrise/Sunset naturally shows the sunrise and sunset times for each day.

8. Host Collaborative Music Playlists

Collaborative playlists in the Music app let you create and share playlists with friends, family, or colleagues, enabling everyone to contribute their favorite tracks. It adds another social dimension to the Music app, and provides a useful way to discover new music and share your musical tastes with others.

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In a playlist you have made, just tap on the three-dot icon in the top right of the app, select the Collaborate option and choose Start Collaboration. You'll then be able to create a link to the playlist, and anyone who has access to that link can add to it. You can also invite people to join via QR code, and opt to approve each person that asks to join.

9. Use Stickers as Message Reactions

Apple aims to make message reactions in the Messages app more fun and expressive by offering an easier way to use stickers as an alternative to tapback reactions.

ios-17-2-tapback-reply-sticker.jpg

Previously you had to drag a sticker or an emoji from the keyboard onto any message bubble. Now you can simply lo... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: 26 New Things Your iPhone Can Do With Next Month's iOS 17.2 Update
 
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bmot

macrumors regular
Feb 25, 2016
223
243
If my iPhone would stop becoming unresponsive needing to be force restart every two days I would be already more than happy Apple. iOS 17 bricked my phone halfway and I still have no clue why.
 
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JGIGS

macrumors 68000
Jan 1, 2008
1,818
2,075
CANADA!
Not sure why you wouldn't want to auto add a favourited song to your library but I guess it's a feature? Also not sure why favouriting a particular song would add the whole album to the library either. Still waiting for smart playlists on ios. Come Apple how difficult can that be?
 

Zeke92

macrumors regular
Feb 1, 2018
126
238
Why would they get rid of the separate tabs for TV Shows and Movies? I suppose I'll wait for the actual update to criticize but the TV App Store is already so confusing. If they remove the ability to purchase movies from iTunes and the TV app remains anywhere close to where it is now, I'll scream.
 

Surf Monkey

macrumors 603
Oct 3, 2010
5,765
4,549
Portland, OR
Why would they get rid of the separate tabs for TV Shows and Movies? I suppose I'll wait for the actual update to criticize but the TV App Store is already so confusing. If they remove the ability to purchase movies from iTunes and the TV app remains anywhere close to where it is now, I'll scream.

If the betas are any indication it’s a baffling move. Mixing movies and television into the same storefront just causes it to look like a confused jumble. Everything is screaming at you and nothing is allowed to stand out.

The TV app generally has become, over the last four or five updates, a complete disaster. User hostile advertising garbage that makes it increasingly difficult to find what you want. The sidebar didn’t help. It made things worse.
 

nsayer

macrumors 65816
Jan 23, 2003
1,249
775
Silicon Valley
I strongly recommend that everyone turn off the emergency alerts. They are pointless security theater of a kind with "active shooter drills" and "duck and cover" nonsense.

Amber alerts do more harm than good by creating floods of bogus "tips" that the authorities have to sift through. If you're an a predictable disaster zone (like a hurricane is approaching), then you'll have every opportunity to be warned in advance in other ways, and if you're affected by an immediate disaster (like an earthquake), then the same thing essentially applies after the fact, if your phone and the cellular networks are even operable.
 

tweaknmod

macrumors 6502
Feb 13, 2012
475
1,612
Ottawa, Ontario
I strongly recommend that everyone turn off the emergency alerts. They are pointless security theater of a kind with "active shooter drills" and "duck and cover" nonsense.

Amber alerts do more harm than good by creating floods of bogus "tips" that the authorities have to sift through. If you're an a predictable disaster zone (like a hurricane is approaching), then you'll have every opportunity to be warned in advance in other ways, and if you're affected by an immediate disaster (like an earthquake), then the same thing essentially applies after the fact, if your phone and the cellular networks are even operable.
Stop spreading misinformation.

Ontario police say more than 90% of Amber Alerts lead to safe recovery of children

Another source: “In a quarter of the 80 cases in which police answered, they said the child was found either because someone saw the alert and called in a tip or because an abductor saw the alert and contacted police. “

So from those two quick sources alone, one can see they are at least somewhat effective. Not 100% but, as a parent, I’m glad they’re there.
 

mv24

macrumors newbie
Jul 12, 2019
22
41
Did the creativity fountain all but dry out at Apple all mighty? The Journaling... ha... wasn't that something invented by Stone Age folks to track things around? Not even paper was needed for it. Are we witnessing actual technological progress or corporate profanity here?
 

JordanCautious

macrumors regular
Sep 26, 2023
150
381
Really looking forward to using the journaling app! Been using Notion to do so up to this point. I can say it is a very effective activity to do. Its important to reflect on your day and get everything that’s currently in your mind out into the physical world. Or digital world in this case lol
 
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