New iPhone Enhancements & Journaling with Apple’s Latest iOS 17.2 Software Upgrade

Apple rolled out iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 earlier this year as a major update for iPhone and iPad devices. After a few weeks of beta testing, iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2 are now available, offering a new preinstalled app and some helpful features.

The main new addition in iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2 is the new Journal app, which was announced back in June and was originally planned for the initial IOS 17 update, but was delayed until now. It’s a journaling app that uses on-device machine learning to create “inspiration” for journal entries, which can be pictures you captured recently, music you listened to, or health data. The suggestion engine is also an API , so you might see other apps implement similar features on your iPhone or iPad (with your permission, of course).

Apple said in a press release, “With Journal, it’s easy to get started by logging a simple text entry, or adding rich details like photos, videos, locations, or audio recordings to add more context. It’s just as easy to add content like a news article, music, or a podcast from other apps by bringing it into the Journal app and writing about it. Users can browse past entries, bookmark them, or filter for details like photos, workouts, places, and more. Scheduled notifications can help make journaling a consistent practice.”

The iOS 17.2 update also adds spatial video recording to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. The new mode will capture video with depth data, which will appear as 3D when viewed in the upcoming Vision Pro headset and (presumably) other future Apple devices. There are improvements to system apps for iPhone and iPad, such as updates to stickers and Memoji in Messages, new widgets for Weather, and more. Apple also backported Qi2 support to the iPhone 13 and 14 , as we previously covered. The full list of changes is embedded below.

What’s New in iOS 17.2

Journal

1. Journal is a new app that lets you write about the small moments and big events in your life so you can practice gratitude and improve your wellbeing
2. Journaling suggestions make it easy to remember your experiences by intelligently grouping your outings, photos, workouts, and more into moments you can add to your journal
3. Filters let you quickly find bookmarked entries or show entries with attachments so you can revisit and reflect on key moments in your life
4. Scheduled notifications help you keep a consistent journaling practice by reminding you to write on the days and time you choose
5. Option to lock your journal using Touch ID or Face ID
6. iCloud sync keeps your journal entries safe and encrypted on iCloud

Action Button

1. Translate option for the Action button on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max to quickly translate phrases or have a conversation with someone in another language

Camera

1. Spatial video lets you capture video on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max so you can relive your memories in three dimensions on Apple Vision Pro
2. Improved Telephoto camera focusing speed when capturing small faraway objects on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max

Messages

1. Catch-up arrow lets you easily jump to your first unread message in a conversation by tapping the arrow visible in the top-right corner
2. Add sticker option in the context menu lets you add a sticker directly to a bubble
3. Memoji updates include the ability to adjust the body shape of any Memoji
4. Contact Key Verification provides automatic alerts and Contact Verification Codes to help verify people facing extraordinary digital threats are messaging only with the people they intend

Weather

1. Precipitation amounts help you stay on top of rain and snow conditions for a given day over the next 10 days
2. New widgets let you choose from next-hour precipitation, daily forecast, sunrise and sunset times, and current conditions such as Air Quality, Feels Like, and wind speed
3. Wind map snapshot helps you quickly assess wind patterns and access the animated wind map overlay to prepare for forecasted wind conditions for the next 24 hours
4. Interactive moon calendar lets you easily visualize the phase of the moon on any day for the next month

This update also includes the following improvements and bug fixes:

1. Siri support for privately accessing and logging Health app data using your voice
2. AirDrop improvements including expanded contact sharing options and the ability to share boarding passes, movie tickets, and other eligible passes by bringing two iPhones together
3. Favorite Songs Playlist in Apple Music lets you quickly get back to the songs you mark as favorites
4. Use Listening History in Apple Music can be disabled in a Focus so music you listen to does not appear in Recently Played or influence your recommendations
5. A new Digital Clock Widget lets you quickly catch a glimpse of the time on your Home Screen and while in StandBy
6. Enhanced AutoFill identifies fields in PDFs and other forms enabling you to populate them with information such as names and addresses from your contacts
7. New keyboard layouts provide support for 8 Sámi languages
8. Sensitive Content Warning for stickers in Messages prevents you from being unexpectedly shown a sticker containing nudity
9. Qi2 charger support for all iPhone 13 models and iPhone 14 models
10. Fixes an issue that may prevent wireless charging in certain vehicles

You can get iOS 17.2 or iPad 17.2 by opening the Settings app, and navigating to General > Software Update.

Source: Apple (1 , 2 )

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