When iOS 17 dropped, it came packed with ahuge selection of features. However, some of the features that were showcased during Apple’sWonderlust eventweren’t available. Perhaps the biggest omission was the brand-new Journal app. Then, when iOS 17.1 was released, the much-anticipated daily journalling app was still nowhere to be seen. The good news is that with the latest release of the iOS 17.2 update, the Journal app is finally here.
iOS 17: All the best iPhone features you should know
Need to catch up on what’s new in iOS 17? We gotchu. Here’s everything you need to know about your iPhone’s latest software update.
Apple’s iOS 17.2 update brings new features to iPhones - not just the Journal app, but also spatial video recording for 3D content, and an Action Button on the iPhone 15 Pro for phrase translation. It also introduces new Weather widgets, a catch-up button in Messages, Qi2 support for faster wireless charging on iPhone 13 and 14. The update is compatible with models from iPhone XS onward, and is available to download through Settings.
What’s new in iOS 17.2?
The software update comes with a whole host of changes. Here’s what’s coming to your iPhone with iOS 17.2.
Journal app
This is probably the most anticipated part of the iOS 17.2 update. When iOS 17 was first announced, we were teased with the prospect of a brand-new app. Although it wasn’t part of the initial iOS 17 release, the Journal app has finally arrived with the released of iOS 17.2.
The app allows you to write about your day and offers intelligent suggestions based on your activity to inspire your journal entries.
Camera updates
The biggest news is that users can now record spatial video with iOS 17.2, iPhone 15 Pro, andiPhone 15 Pro Max. This special format records additional information as you shoot, and although currently, you can only view your recordings in 2D on your phone when theVision Proarrives, you’ll be able to enjoy your recordings in all their glory. The format will allow you to move around to view your recording from different angles, seeing parts of the video that aren’t directly visible head-on.
iOS 17.2 also adds improved focusing speeds on theiPhone 15 Proand iPhone 15 Pro Max when using the telephoto lens.
Action button translation
The Action button already allows you to perform a number of different actions, from turning on your phone’s flashlight tolaunching a shortcut, but in iOS 17.2, there’s a new addition. You can now use your Action button to instantly launch the Translate app, which will listen to your input and translate the phrase you speak into the target language.
Messages improvements
While iMessage may be all over the news at the moment, with theBeeper Mini appbriefly allowing Android users to use iMessage to send blue bubble messages to iPhones, iOS 17.2 brings some updates to the official Messages app. These include a catch-up arrow that will quickly take you to your first unread message, the ability to add stickers directly to bubbles, contact key verification to help confirm you’re messaging the people you think you are, and Memoji updates that allow you to change the body shape of your Memoji.
Weather app updates
When Apple bought the excellentDark Sky weather app, you knew it was only a matter of time until the app ceased to exist. A lot of Dark Sky’s features have made it to the official Apple Weather app, and iOS 17.2 adds some new features, including precipitation totals, new widgets for weather details, the daily forecast, and sunrise and sunset, and a wind map.
There’s also an interactive calendar that shows you the phase of the moon in the upcoming month as well as in the past month.
Is that it?
There are plenty of other changes in iOS 17.2, including:
If you want to take advantage of all of these new features, you’ll need to update your iPhone, provided that it’scapable of running iOS 17. If you have automatic updates turned on, this will happen automatically at some point, but you may prefer to download and install the update manually.
