Apple Releases First Public Betas of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17

Apple today seeded the first betas of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 to public beta testers, opening up the new software to the general public for the first time since the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Developers have had three betas so far, and the first public beta offers the same content as the third developer beta.


Public beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program can download the iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 updates by opening up the Settings app, going to General, tapping on the Software Update section and toggling on the iOS 17 Public Beta option.

iOS 17 adds a new StandBy option for the iPhone, allowing it to serve as an information hub when it is in a horizontal position and connected to a charger. StandBy mode displays the time, Live Activities, incoming notifications, and tons of widgets.

StandBy iOS 17
Speaking of widgets, widgets you use on the Lock Screen and Home Screen are interactive, so you can do things like control a smart light or check off a Reminder without opening an app. Autocorrect is smarter than before, and it's easier to correct mistakes with a quick tap.

AirDrop has a new NameDrop feature for quickly sharing contact information with a person nearby, and the Phone app has customizable Contact Posters that let you choose what people see when you call them.

ios 17 namedrop
Live Voicemail shows the voicemail that someone is leaving right on your Lock Screen so you can pick up if it's important, and the Messages app has a refined look and a Check-In feature that's meant to help you get to your destination safely.

Live Voicemail iOS 17
FaceTime supports video messages so you can leave a video voicemail if someone misses a call, plus you can use it on the Apple TV. Safari has a locked private browsing window and a password sharing feature, and better tracking prevention. The Maps app now works offline, the Photos app can recognize your pets, and Visual Look Up works with food, symbols, videos, and more.

facetime video messages ios 17
There's a new mood tracking feature available in the Health app, and later this year, Apple also plans to add a journaling app.

ios 17 mood updates
For a complete overview of all of the new features in iOS 17, we have a dedicated iOS 17 roundup. iPadOS 17 also has some iPad-only features like a revamped Lock Screen, with details available in our separate iPadOS 17 roundup.

Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

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Top Rated Comments

Originalblez Avatar
30 months ago
And thus starts my annual countdown to giving in to the impulse to put beta versions on all my devices despite logic saying wait. I wonder if can make it a whole week.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Minato1990 Avatar
30 months ago

And thus starts my annual countdown to giving in to the impulse to put beta versions on all my devices despite logic saying wait. I wonder if can make it a whole week.
Man I really want to, but I’m going to Japan for two weeks next week. I simply cannot afford to have my phone or my watch go mess up over there
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fenderbass146 Avatar
30 months ago
Been using Developer beta on all my main devices (macbook m1 pro, ipad pro m1, and iphone 14 pro) and there are no show stopping issues I have noticed in my use. Biggest issue is Safari web apps have been flakey and I went back to using Web Catalog and Edge apps in the meantime.

Pretty impressed with this update so far and the extended monitor support on the ipad is pretty impressive with Stage manager.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
30 months ago
For those that are in doubt… this is a very helpful video.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hovscorpion12 Avatar
30 months ago
imagine the impulse of waiting the whole summer and waiting for official release
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
briankeith513 Avatar
30 months ago

And webpage goes down
we no longer have to manually download the ios17 profile from the website. It's already in the software update settings sections under "Beta updates"
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)