iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below.

iOS 17
iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list.

Journal App

Journal App iOS 17 Feature Green
Apple's new Journal app allows iPhone users to reflect on their day and memories, complete with text, photos, music, audio recordings, and more. The app provides personalized suggestions based on recent on-device activity.

Translate Option for Action Button

iPhone 15 Pro Action Button Translate
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are equipped with a customizable Action button that replaces the traditional mute switch on previous iPhones. By default, the button is set to toggle between Ring and Silent modes, but it can also be assigned to a different action for quick access to the camera, flashlight, Voice Memos, and more.

Starting with iOS 17.2, the Action button can now be assigned to the Translate app for quick access to language translation in the Dynamic Island.

Spatial Video Recording on iPhone 15 Pro Models

Vision Pro Spatial Video
Starting with iOS 17.2, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can record spatial video with 3D depth for playback on Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset. When held in landscape orientation, the iPhone's main and ultra wide cameras combine to record 3D video.

The feature can be toggled on in the Settings app under Camera → Formats, and when it is, an extra button to record spatial video appears in the Video section of the Camera app. Spatial videos are recorded in 1080p at 30 fps, and Apple says the iPhone needs to be in landscape orientation and stabilized for the best results. Apple says the toggle will be turned on automatically for future Vision Pro owners.

When played on the iPhone, spatial videos are regular 2D videos without any extra depth effect.

Change Default Alerts Sound

ios 17 default alert
In the Settings app, under Sounds & Haptics, you can now change the sound and haptic feedback pattern for default alerts/notifications. Prior to iOS 17.2, only text, voicemail, mail, calendar, and reminder alerts had customization options.

New Widgets

weather app widgets
There are new Home Screen and Lock Screen widget options for the Weather and Clock apps on iOS 17.2. The new Weather options include, Daily Forecast, and Sunrise and Sunset, while the Clock app now offers a digital clock widget.

Apple Music: Favorite Songs Playlist

apple music favorite playlists
In the Music app on iOS 17.1 and later, you can favorite songs by tapping the star icon to receive improved recommendations.

Starting with iOS 17.2, favorited songs are also added to a new Favorite Songs playlist.

Apple Music: Listening History Focus Filter

ios 17 2 focus filters
Tired of your kids or someone else messing up your Apple Music recommendations while they are borrowing your iPhone to listen to music? iOS 17.2 includes a new Focus filter for Apple Music‌ listening history that addresses this problem. When this filter is toggled on, the other person's song choices won't affect your recommendations.

iMessage: Contact Key Verification

Apple advanced security iMessage Contact Key Verification screen Feature
iMessage Contact Key Verification allow users who face "extraordinary digital threats," such as journalists, human rights activists, and government officials, to further verify that they are messaging only with the people they intend. In conversations between users who have enabled iMessage Contact Key Verification, users are alerted if a state-sponsored attacker or other malicious actor were ever to succeed breaching cloud servers and inserting their own device to eavesdrop on the conversation.

As an additional layer of security, iMessage Contact Key Verification users are able to compare a Contact Verification Code in person, on FaceTime, or through another secure call to further verify they are communicating only with whom they intend.

Apple previewed iMessage Contact Key Verification in December 2022, and it is finally launching as part of iOS 17.2.

iMessage: Sticker Reactions via Tapback Menu

ios 17 2 tapback reply sticker
iOS 17.2 allows you to more quickly react to a message with any sticker by tapping "Add Sticker" in the Tapback menu in the Messages app.

Sensitive Content Warnings Expansion

Starting with iOS 17.2, Apple's opt-in Sensitive Content Warning feature works with Contact Posters in both the Contacts and Phone apps, as well as stickers in the Messages app. Apple says this feature is designed for use by adults.

Sensitive Content Feature
When turned on, the Sensitive Content Warning feature uses on-device machine learning to analyze photos and videos, and blurs photos or videos with any detected nudity before users view them. Apple says it does not receive any indication that nudity was detected, and does not gain access to the photos or videos as a result.

Sensitive Content Warnings are also available for messages in the Messages app, AirDrop transfers, and FaceTime video messages. The feature launched earlier this year across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. Apple has offered a similar Communication Safety feature for children across the same devices since 2021.

Memoji: New Customization Options

ios 17 2 memoji body
Apple added a "Body" section for Memoji, allowing users to customize their Memoji character's waist, bust, shoulders, and arms.

Contact Posters: Rainbow Text

ios 17 2 contact poster rainbow
Starting with iOS 17.2, there is a rainbow-colored text option for your name when setting up a Contact Poster in the Contacts app.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT 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 simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...
Mac Studio Feature

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips at a Discount

Thursday June 12, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March. As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
m4 macbook air pink

Apple Now Selling Refurbished M4 MacBook Air Models

Friday June 13, 2025 3:34 pm PDT by
Apple today added M4 MacBook Air models to its refurbished store in the United States, making the latest MacBook Air devices available at a discounted price for the first time since they launched earlier this year. Both 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models are available, with Apple offering multiple capacities and configurations. The refurbished devices are discounted by approximately 15...