iOS 17.3 Features: What's New in iOS 17.3

Apple today released iOS 17.3, a major update to the iOS operating system that adds Stolen Device Protection, collaborative Apple Music playlists, and a handful of other interesting features.

iOS 17.3 Out Now - New Features!GeekWebGuides

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Stolen Device Protection

Earlier this year, there were news reports about a series of iPhone thefts where the thief spied on a victim to learn an iPhone's passcode before going on to steal the device, leading to drained bank accounts, stolen passwords, and an untraceable iPhone.

As a solution, Apple included Stolen Device Protection in iOS 17.3 to add extra security. Should a thief get their hands on both your iPhone and your passcode, Stolen Device Protection prevents total catastrophe. With Stolen Device Protection enabled, accessing passwords in iCloud Keychain, turning off Lost Mode, erasing content, and making purchases in Safari requires biometric authentication with Face ID or Touch ID.

Actions like changing an Apple ID password require ‌Face ID‌ and have a one-hour security delay. So if you (or someone else) tried to change your ‌Apple ID‌ login information, you would need to authenticate with ‌Face ID‌ and then wait an hour before the password could be updated. These wait periods are not required when you are in a trusted location like home or work.

Here are actions that require biometric authentication when Stolen Device Protection is activated:

• Viewing/using passwords or passkeys saved in ‌iCloud‌ Keychain
• Applying for a new Apple Card
• Viewing an ‌Apple Card‌ virtual card
• Turning off Lost Mode
• Erasing all content and settings
• Taking certain Apple Cash and Savings actions in Wallet
• Using payment methods saved in Safari
• Using your iPhone to set up a new device

Note that these actions do not have a passcode backup, so you can't use a passcode to skirt ‌Face ID‌ or ‌Touch ID‌. Actions that require biometric authentication and have a one-hour security delay include the following:

• Changing your ‌Apple ID‌ password
• Updating select ‌Apple ID‌ account security settings, including adding or removing a trusted device, trusted phone number, Recovery Key, or Recovery Contact
• Changing your iPhone passcode
• Adding or removing ‌Face ID‌ or ‌Touch ID‌
• Turning off Find My
• Turning off Stolen Device Protection

Stolen Device Protection is available on all iPhones that are able to run iOS 17, which includes the iPhone XS and newer. It is an opt-in feature that can be turned on in the Settings app by going to ‌Face ID‌ > Passcode and toggling on Stolen Device Protection.

Collaborative Apple Music Playlists

Apple introduced collaborative ‌Apple Music‌ Playlists in iOS 17.3. With this feature, you can take any of your existing playlists or create a new one and then invite others to join in to add songs and listen to the playlist. You can invite friends, family members, and others who share your musical preferences, and there doesn't appear to be a limit on how many people can contribute.

We have a GeekWebGuides collaborative music playlist available for those who want to join in and share music with other GeekWebGuides readers.

To use the collaboration feature, go to a playlist in the ‌Apple Music‌ app and then tap on the person icon. You will be able to generate a link that you can send to others, and everyone who is invited can access the playlist. There is an option to approve each person that joins, and leaving this off just opens it up to anyone with the link.

The person who created the playlist can remove people, remove songs, and turn off collaboration at any time.

Collaborative Playlist Emoji Reactions

Apple in iOS 17.3 also added a neat emoji reaction feature that allows listeners to add an emoji to any song that's playing to express their feelings about it. There are standard quick access emoji options like a heart and thumbs up, but with the "+" button, any emoji can be added.

When you're listening to a song in the playlist that has emoji reactions added by people who have collaborated on a playlist, those emoji animate as the song begins to play.

AirPlay 2 in Hotels

Select hotels now support streaming content from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac directly to an AirPlay-compatible hotel. The feature is designed to allow you to watch content on streaming services without having to log in to a hotel TV with your credentials.

AppleCare

In the Settings app under General, the AppleCare and Warranty section displays the ‌AppleCare‌ coverage for all devices signed in with your ‌Apple ID‌.

Crash Detection

Apple has further optimized the Crash Detection feature that is available on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models. Apple has been continually tweaking Crash Detection to prevent it from activating during activities that cause movement similar to a car crash.

TV Show and Movie Wishlists

With iOS 17.2 and iPadOS 17.2, Apple stopped allowing TV shows and movies to be purchased with the iTunes Store app. iTunes Store wishlists were an unfortunate casualty of the transition, and they became accessible.

Users who were upset about losing carefully curated wishlists can now access that information again in the iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 updates. Apple has added a new "Go to Wish List" option so users can copy down their movie and TV show watch lists.

Read More

For details on all of the features that are included in the iOS 17 update, we have a dedicated roundup.