Apple today released iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 to the public five days after seeding its Release Candidate on Wednesday, January 17. iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 also come nearly two months after Apple released iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2 to the public.
Users who wish to download iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 can do so by navigating to Settings -> General -> Software Update on their iPhones and iPads. Apple also released the following software updates:
- macOS Sonoma 14.3
- tvOS 17.3
- HomePod Software 17.3
- watchOS 10.3
iOS 17.3 introduces a new “Stolen Device Protection” feature, which should make it harder for thieves to access data and change settings on your iPhone if they are able to unlock your device after stealing it. With the new feature, biometric authentication with Face ID or Touch ID is necessary for tasks such as accessing passwords, disabling Lost Mode, making purchases in Safari, and other security-related actions.
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iOS 17.3 also brings smaller features to the iPhone experience, including Collaborative Playlists on Apple Music and AirPlay’s expansion to hotel rooms. Both of these features didn’t make the cut with the public release of iOS 17.2 despite appearing in earlier betas. iOS 17.3 also introduces the new Unity Bloom wallpaper.
Apple could also begin rolling out app sideloading in Europe with the forthcoming update as a result of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, which will force the company to open up its platforms to accept app downloads from outside the App Store and more.
