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iOS 17.5 Features: What's New in iOS 17.5

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Apple recently released iOS 17.5, the newest version of iOS. It brings some major changes to the iPhone if you're in the European Union, and some smaller updates if you're not.


In this article, we've rounded up everything new in iOS 17.5.

App Downloads From Websites (EU Only)

iOS 17.5 brings support for web-based app distribution in the European Union, letting developers offer their apps for download directly on their websites. iPhone users can download iOS apps from supported websites without using the App Store.

As with the iOS 17.4 changes that added alternative app marketplaces, this functionality is limited to the iPhone and can only be used in the EU. Developers need to be a member of the Apple Developer Program for two continuous years or more and must have more than one million first installs on iOS in the prior year to offer an app for download.

All apps downloaded from websites onto iPhones must submit to Apple's notarization process, and while there is no commission to pay to Apple, Apple does charge a 0.50 euro Core Technology Fee. Though this is only available on the iPhone right now, Apple will bring the same functionality to the iPad later this year.

Apple News+

Apple News+ now has an offline mode that provides access to the Today feed and the News+ tab even without a cellular or Wi-Fi connection.

Apple News+ includes a new daily word game called Quartiles. The game requires players to combine tiles to form words and earn points. Quartiles is limited to customers who have a paid Apple News+ subscription.

iOS-17.5-Quartiles-Feature.jpg

The scoreboard feature for Apple News+ Puzzles includes new player data for Crossword, Mini Crossword, and Quartiles. Players can see their stats and streaks over time, similar to how The New York Times gaming app works.

Third-Party Item Tracker Alerts

iOS 17.5 adds support for third-party item trackers, a feature that Apple has been working on since last year.

Apple and Google developed a cross-platform solution for unwanted tracking alerts, and iOS 17.5 will let iPhone users know when a third-party tracker is nearby. "You can disable this item and stop it from sharing its location with the owner. To do this, follow the instructions provided on a website by the manufacturer of this item," reads code in the update.

Apple's release notes say that Cross-Platform Tracking Detection has been designed to provide notifications to users if a compatible Bluetooth tracker they do not own is moving with them, regardless of what operating system the device is paired with.

Google launched its Android-based Find My Device network in April, timed with the initial rollout of Cross-Platform Tracking Detection.

Repair State

iOS 17.5 includes a repair state option that lets an iPhone be sent in for service without deactivating Find My and Activation Lock.

ios-17-5-repair-state.jpg

A new "Remove This Device" option is available in Find My, and using it with an iPhone puts the device into a repair state mode. Sending a device for repair has historically required turning off Find My, which is a way for Apple to ensure that the person requesting a repair owns the iPhone.

The repair state option leaves Find My turned on, and the iPhone continues to be trackable with the Find My app while it is being repaired. An iPhone put into a repair state lists that it is "Ready for Repair" in the Find My device section, and the iPhone remains functional while in the repair state.

Podcast Widget

The Podcasts widget that can be added to the Home Screen or the Lock screen now features a background that changes depending on the art of the podcast that's being played.

Mobile Device Management

MDM solutions are able to enforce a beta version during automated device enrollment. Automated device enrollment is designed to simplify initial device setup.

Code Changes

There were some code changes that we found in the iOS 17.5 beta that reference an iPad battery health feature that could possibly be available on the latest iPads. Battery health is not listed as an iPadOS 17.5 feature, so it is not clear if it is a feature that is available or something coming at a later date.

An iPad Battery Health menu would likely show maximum remaining capacity and charge cycle count, similar to the Battery Health menu on iPhone.

There were also references to a "Block All Participants" option for group FaceTime calls, possibly for blocking spam, but it also has not been implemented.

More on iOS 17

A full rundown on all of the features that are available in iOS 17 can be found in our iOS 17 roundup.

Article Link: iOS 17.5 Features: What's New in iOS 17.5
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/guide/ios-17-5-features/
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ta297

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May 13, 2024
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Did Apple ever add in the ability to add the stopwatch to the lock screen that they removed at the last minute in one of the previous updates?
 
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JosephAW

JosephAW

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Lately our small groups have exceeded the 20 members text message limitation on android phones so we have moved to telegram which allows much more.
On the android platform you’re allowed to download from other sources including the developer so users do not need to have a Google play account to install their app.
For our iOS users they have to download it directly from the App Store some of those users do not have an Apple account so they’re not able to participate.
This will be a useful feature as soon as it comes to the states for these types of users that don’t have App Store accounts.
 
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PsykX

PsykX

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Bug : When taking a screenshot, I can't swipe the screenshot, I have to wait until it disappears... never happened before.

Did they even test that or what?
 
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raghu8912

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Dec 5, 2016
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San Jose
JosephAW said:
Lately our small groups have exceeded the 20 members text message limitation on android phones so we have moved to telegram which allows much more.
On the android platform you’re allowed to download from other sources including the developer so users do not need to have a Google play account to install their app.
For our iOS users they have to download it directly from the App Store some of those users do not have an Apple account so they’re not able to participate.
This will be a useful feature as soon as it comes to the states for these types of users that don’t have App Store accounts.
Click to expand...
Why not use google messages app that is built on RCS standard ?
serious question.
 
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macOSSlawHotelaw

macOSSlawHotelaw

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Apr 15, 2023
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For E.U. users, are there any web browsers available already that don't use Apple's built-in engine?

The other day I found great seats to a show, but the website's payment page simply didn't work with any WebKit browser, and by the time I got home and could use a different browser on my laptop, those seats were gone.
 
haruhiko

haruhiko

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macOSSlawHotelaw said:
For E.U. users, are there any web browsers available already that don't use Apple's built-in engine?

The other day I found great seats to a show, but the website's payment page simply didn't work with any WebKit browser, and by the time I got home and could use a different browser on my laptop, those seats were gone.
Click to expand...
It must be an ancient website that cannot support WebKit. 🧐
 
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sc00ba

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Feb 6, 2024
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It'll be interesting to see how things go in the malware department now that Apple has opened up to third party app stores, fingers crossed it'll be the same as downloading a third party app for the Mac.
I hope they handle it in a much better way than Android did and we don't have to run antivirus on iDevices.
 
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JosephAW

JosephAW

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May 14, 2012
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raghu8912 said:
Why not use google messages app that is built on RCS standard ?
serious question.
Click to expand...
A lot of us don’t have any Google apps on our iPhone devices and some of the android users don’t as well, some don’t even using chrome but another browser. Some do use Google but they all agreed upon using Telegram.
 
Rich74

Rich74

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Oct 31, 2012
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Since updating phone won’t connect to 5G anymore.

Have tried turning off / on and toggling mobile data etc.

UK based. Working fine before.
 
Sogeman

Sogeman

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Sep 7, 2023
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macOSSlawHotelaw said:
For E.U. users, are there any web browsers available already that don't use Apple's built-in engine?

The other day I found great seats to a show, but the website's payment page simply didn't work with any WebKit browser, and by the time I got home and could use a different browser on my laptop, those seats were gone.
Click to expand...
I doubt there ever will be. Why build a whole new app and jump through apples weird hoops just for the EU. US needs to wake up and also implement some laws so Apple is forced to implement those changes there as well
 
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macOSSlawHotelaw

macOSSlawHotelaw

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Apr 15, 2023
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Sogeman said:
I doubt there ever will be. Why build a whole new app and jump through apples weird hoops just for the EU. US needs to wake up and also implement some laws so Apple is forced to implement those changes there as well
Click to expand...
back before the e.u. rule was in effect, i read a rumor here that google was testing a version of chrome with its own engine for ios for when it eventually was allowed, but of course that doesn’t mean it’ll come anytime soon or ever. i agree with you that making those changes in the united states would most likely accelerate the process.
 
Last edited:
macOSSlawHotelaw

macOSSlawHotelaw

macrumors newbie
Apr 15, 2023
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haruhiko said:
It must be an ancient website that cannot support WebKit. 🧐
Click to expand...
what can i tell you? it’s a big multinational entertainment company, and the website didn’t look ancient, like a web 1.0 or anything like that.

the new payments page for my property insurance outright makes safari crash every single try, and in that case i also had to use chrome on my mac. if i only had an ipad or iphone, i would’ve had to pay by phone or mail because there’s no alternative on those platforms.

customer choice while maintaining security would be good.
 
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