Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the updates available a week after the release of the first iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 betas.
Registered developers are able to opt into the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 Developer Beta. An Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.
iOS 17.3 introduces a Stolen Device Protection feature that limits access to your private information in case someone obtains both your iPhone and your passcode. When activated, it requires Face ID or Touch ID identity verification to do things like accessing passwords in iCloud Keychain, turning off Lost Mode, making purchases through Safari with saved payment credentials, and more.
There are also features that require verification and have a one-hour delay to access, such as changing an Apple ID passcode, an iPhone passcode, turning off Find My, and turning off Face ID. More details can be found in our article on Stolen Device Protection.
The update also adds collaborative Apple Music playlists, a feature that lets Apple Music subscribers share playlists with others to build shared song lists. Collaborative playlists are simple to use, can be shared with a link, and support emoji reactions.
Last week, Apple pulled the second betas of iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 after the updates caused devices to go into a perpetual boot loop. Apple did not re-release the second betas, but presumably the issue is fixed in the third betas.
Apple is expected to release iOS 17.3 later in January.
