Apple iPhone owners should take a quick trip to the Settings menu today. The US technology giant has just pushed out a big iOS update which not only fixes some annoying bugs but also brings a bunch of new features to these popular devices including a useful upgrade for anyone who lives in the UK and uses online banking.
Once downloaded, iOS 17.1 lets you see your current balance right in the Apple Wallet so you don’t need to launch a dedicated banking application to see how many pounds you have left in an account. It’s a nice change that will help keep better track of your finances.
Along with that improved banking support, iOS 17.1 also brings the option to continue AirDrop transfers when you switch over to a mobile network from Wi-Fi. Until now, any files being whizzed between phones would stop if the Wi-Fi connection was lost – that’s no longer an issue.
Next up, Apple Music is boosted via an update which now lets you filter your favourites in the library. New cover art collection also offers designs that change colours to reflect the music in your playlist and song suggestions appear at the bottom of every playlist, making it easy to add music that matches the vibe of your playlist.
There’s also another nice change to the neat StandBy mode that launched in iOS 17. This turns the screen into a useful little display when it’s not being used with things such as photos and calendars shown during those periods of downtime. New controls, via iOS 17.1, now offer the option to let you decide when the Standby display turns off.
Other extras include the option to choose a specific album to use with Photo Shuffle on the Lock Screen, home key support for Matter locks and improved reliability of Screen Time settings syncing across devices. It also fixes an issue that was causing concern in France about radiation levels.
If you want iOS 17.1 it’s a good idea to make sure you are connected to Wi-Fi as it’s a file size of over 1.5GB.
To get iOS 17 on your phone simply head to Settings > General > Software Update.
Along with iOS 17.1, Apple has also released its watchOS 10.1 update as well. This brings the much-anticipated Double Tap function to those with an Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra on their wrist.
For those not aware, Double Tap lets you interact with the screen without physically pressing on it. Instead, users just tap their thumb and index finger together.
It works with options functions such as answering calls, launching the Smart Stack function, pausing timers and even replying to messages.