After releasing several new features with the recent iOS 17.1 update , Apple has now rolled out an iOS 17.2 developer beta today. Based on its released notes, Apple is finally introducing the long-awaited Journal app in iOS 17.2, which was teased earlier this year at Apple’s WWDC keynote.
Furthermore, there are four other exclusive features coming to iOS 17.2, including action button enhancements to Apple Music, iMessage verification and new widgets. It’s worth noting that iOS 17.2 is currently only limited to developers.
Related: Apple Plans iOS 17 Update to Address iPhone 15 Overheating Issue
5 New Upcoming Features in iOS 17.2
1) The Journal App
For starters, the most exciting feature of iOS 17.2 update is the Journal app, a digital daily diary for users to log their activities. Based on what Apple mentioned in its Worldwide Developers Conference, the app functions as a way for users to self-reflect and practice gratitude. For instance, the app curates relevant stuff from your photos, videos, people you interact with, and even the places you have visited instead of just the usual app for you to note down your feelings and experiences.
How is it different from the regular Notes app? Simply put, the Journal app utilises Machine Learning (ML) or leverages on-device learning to generate ideas and suggestions on what to write about by prompting user entries and using data like photos, workouts, location data, and more.
However, there are always downsides to everything. For example, the AI could bring up some difficult memories people may not want to rethink as not all memories are happy. Thus, with the iOS 17.2 beta, developers must ensure that the Journal app can accurately depict what data to utilise as the idea is not inherently bad, but it does carry risks.
2) Enhancements to the Action Button
Secondly, the Apple action button is also getting some enhancements with iOS 17.2 with a new translation preset. While existing iPhone users can leverage several presets with the action button, iOS 17.2 introduces users to a translation option they showed alongside the iPhone 15 Pro announcement in September.
According to 9to5Mac, the new translation option slots in between Voice Memo and Magnifier in the Action button section of the Settings app. When enabled, you can press the Action button to automatically begin a voice-to-text translation between the two languages you have previously set up in the Translate app.
Moreover, the translation feature can work offline without a network connection, which follows the iPhone’s Neutral Engine to keep everything on-device. With the addition of this function in iOS 17.2, users can now include ten options to their action button ranging from silent mode, camera, flashlight and more.
3) Apple Music
Thirdly, Apple Music is receiving a massive update in iOS 17.2 with new playlists and a listening history focus filter.
- Collaborative Playlists: This option allows users to create a playlist in Apple Music that multiple people can add to. For example, in a playlist you have made, tap on the three-dot icon in the top right of the app. Then, select the Collaborate option and choose Start Collaboration. People can join the playlists via a QR code, or you can manually approve each person who wants to join.
- Favourites Playlists: Building on the introduction of the favourites feature in iOS 17..1, the first beta of iOS 17.2 now adds a dedicated favourites playlist. Every Apple user will have an automatically generated favourite playlist after the update.
- Listening History Focus Filter: This new feature is the most intriguing as users can now have more control over their listening history and recommendations. For instance, if someone else uses your device to listen to music, you can activate this to turn off the listening history so their song choices will not affect your recommendations.
4) iMessage Contact Key Verification
It has been a long while since Apple promised us the iMessage Contact Key Verification, and we finally have details surrounding it after a long 10-month wait. As a refresher, this feature is for those who face extraordinary digital threats, such as journalists, human rights activists, and government officials snooping in your conversation.
Therefore, in iOS 17.2, the iMessage Contact Key Verification will notify users about validation errors through their conversations in the Messages conversation transcript along with the Apple ID Settings. It is a welcoming feature as it is increasingly dangerous to talk about matters on the phone before verifying the exact person.
5) New Digital Clock and Weather Widgets
Lastly, Apple is bringing four new widgets to the clock and weather feature in iOS 17.2. Listed below are the four new widgets we can expect in the next update:
- Details: After the update, this widget will display information like precipitation chance, UV index, wind speed, and air quality.
- Daily Forecasts: A simple widget that displays the current weather conditions and daily forecast for a location.
- Sunrise and Sunset: Informs us of sunrise and sunset times for each day in our location.
- Digital Clock: The first digital clock widget from Apple that displays the current time in a digital format rather than an analogue. Users can also add the feature to their home screen and lock screen.
When Can We Expect the iOS 17.2 Official Update?
While we are still unsure when iOS 17.2 will be ready for a general release, it should arrive sometime around the middle of December, as there is still a public beta we can await. Hopefully, the developers can remove any bugs or implement their AI Journal app better, as we would not want this update to fail.
For more information about gaming, technology and crypto, bookmark our Facebook, TikTok and Twitter pages for daily updates.