Everything New in iOS 17 Beta 6

We're likely less than a month away from the launch of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, which means beta testing will soon be wrapping up. Apple is now providing weekly beta updates, seeding out the sixth beta today.

General iOS 17 Feature Blue Green
As we approach the end of the beta testing period, updates are getting smaller with Apple focusing on crucial refinements and polish, but there are still a few changes in the latest beta worth highlighting.

Messages App

In the Messages app, you can now long press on the "+" button to bring up the photo picker rather than tapping and having to choose the Photos option from the list.

Phone App

In an earlier beta, Apple moved the red end call button in the Phone app from the bottom middle of the interface to the bottom right. Given that people are so used to tapping in the middle, this was not a popular change.

ios 17 beta six phone app
In beta 6, Apple moved the end call button back to the middle, returning it to where it is located in iOS 16 and earlier.

Mood Tracking

Apple has further tweaked the animations that are used for the moods in the mood tracking feature. The rings around each mood now animate quicker around each shape, and there are more rings.

ios 17 beta 6 mood tracking

Photos Splash Screen

There's a new splash screen when you first open the ‌Photos‌ app, and it lets you know about the new features.

ios 17 photos splash screen

Display & Brightness

In the Display & Brightness section of the Settings app, the wallpaper icon has been updated to an iOS 17 wallpaper.

ios 17 beta 6 settings

More iOS 17 Beta 6 Features

Know of a feature that we left out in this list? Let us know in the comments below.

Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
google pixel 10

Switching Between iPhone and Android Will Get Easier With New Apple and Google Collaboration

Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta. Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....

Top Rated Comments

Bawstun Avatar
30 months ago
Apple needs new software designers. This is ridiculous.

Example: the long-press on + to immediately go to the photo picker.

STUPID. Not intuitive at all, even in the slightest.

Most people send PHOTOS in their texts more than they use stickers, avatars, location data and other features.

So rather than make a PHOTO button front and center and easily accessible, they expect you to think of long-pressing a simple button in order to introduce the shortcut.

Who thinks that way? Nobody. No one. Not a single person would think, intuitively, to hold down + as a fast way to bring up photos.

Ridiculous. I’m so tired of having to use Google or YouTube to search how to perform simple functions that a 3-year old used to be able to figure out with iOS. It’s like nothing matters anymore.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Iscariote Avatar
30 months ago
Hoping this gets rid of the disappearing text entry box in Messages.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
flashpirate Avatar
30 months ago
Six betas in and they have not fixed a single issue of the hundred I've reported. The beta is more refined, and just as crappy UX as the first one.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghostface147 Avatar
30 months ago

Apple needs new software designers. This is ridiculous.

Example: the long-press on + to immediately go to the photo picker.

STUPID. Not intuitive at all, even in the slightest.

Most people send PHOTOS in their texts more than they use stickers, avatars, location data and other features.

So rather than make a PHOTO button front and center and easily accessible, they expect you to think of long-pressing a simple button in order to introduce the shortcut.

Who thinks that way? Nobody. No one. Not a single person would think, intuitively, to hold down + as a fast way to bring up photos.

Ridiculous. I’m so tired of having to use Google or YouTube to search how to perform simple functions that a 3-year old used to be able to figure out with iOS. It’s like nothing matters anymore.
Well let us know when you apply and get the job to make the design decisions for them.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
30 months ago
This is a neat feature! Excellent!

[MEDIA=twitter]1691575013697085802[/MEDIA]
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adammusic Avatar
30 months ago
PLEASE SWAP THE AUDIO AND MUTE BUTTONS BACK IN THE PHONE APP ALSO

SO STUPID WHY WOULD ANYONE MOVE ANY OF THOSE ICONS INSANE
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)