It's never fun to have your iPhone stolen, even though Apple has all kinds of tools to protect you from theft. There are also ways to prevent your iPhone from being stolen. In iOS 17.3, Apple is adding another important tool to prevent a thief from accessing your Apple ID settings with a stolen iPhone and, for example, changing your password. Read all about iOS 17.3 and more here.
iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 available
As of iOS 17.3, you will find the function called Stolen Device Protection on your iPhone. This feature prevents a thief who knows your iPhone's passcode from changing your Apple ID password, for example. If you enable stolen device protection, Face ID will always be required for certain things to change data or adjust settings. Your access code will no longer be available as a backup in case your face is not recognized.
This change applies to different settings if you enable the theft function. For example, you can no longer view passwords from iCloud Keychain, but you also can't erase your iPhone or use your iPhone to set up another device without using Face ID. This prevents the thief from performing such actions that contain personal information. A security delay has also been set for some actions, so you'll still have to wait an hour after Face ID if you're not home. For example, changing your Apple ID password.
The job can be found via Settings > Face ID/Touch ID & Passcode > Stolen device protection. You should enable this in advance, before your iPhone is stolen. In daily use, you'll barely notice a difference with the function enabled.
But iOS 17.3 and iPadOS 17.3 offer more. The updates also add support for collaboration on Apple Music playlists. This feature was originally planned for iOS 17.2, but was delayed somewhat. This feature allows you to add songs to a playlist together, change the order, and even respond to the other person's music taste with an emoji.
The next new feature is AirPlay in hotel rooms, but that's only useful if enough hotels offer support for it.
Finally, in iOS 17.3 you'll find a new wallpaper for Black History Month. This fits the new Black Unity 2024 Apple Watch band, which also includes the watch face added in watchOS 10.3. You can read more about all the new features of iOS 17.3 in our separate article.
iOS 17.3 release notes
These are the English release notes for iOS 17.3 released by Apple:
This update introduces additional security measures while protecting stolen devices. This release also includes a new Unity wallpaper honoring Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month, as well as other features, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPhone. Some features may not be available in all regions or on all Apple devices.
Protect stolen devices
- Stolen Device Protection increases the security of your iPhone and Apple ID by requiring Face ID or Touch ID without requiring a passcode to perform certain actions.
- Security delay requires using Face ID or Touch ID, waiting an hour, then additional successful biometric authentication before performing sensitive operations like changing your device passcode or Apple ID password.
Lock the screen
- The new Unity wallpaper honors Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month
music
- Playlist collaboration lets you invite friends to join your playlist and everyone can add, rearrange, and remove songs
- Emoji reactions can be added to any track in a collaborative playlist
This update also includes the following improvements:
- Hotel AirPlay support allows you to stream content directly to the TV in your room at select hotels
- AppleCare & Warranty in Settings displays your coverage for all devices signed in with your Apple ID
- Crash detection improvements (all iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 models)
For information about the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
For iPadOS 17.3, these are the release notes:
This update introduces a new Unity background honoring Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month. This release also includes improvements to Apple Music, as well as other features, bug fixes, and security updates for iPad. Some features may not be available in all regions or on all Apple devices. For information about the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
Download iOS 17.3
To download iOS 17.3, do the following:
- On your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > Software Update. Wait for the update to appear on the screen.
- tap on Download and install.
- Wait for your device to reboot and the installation is complete.
You can also perform the update via your computer. To do this, connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac with a cable and open Finder (or iTunes in macOS Mojave or earlier). Windows users open iTunes. Click on your connected device and choose Look for the update. The update will then be downloaded and installed on your device.
Have you used a trial version and no longer want to receive trial versions? Don't forget to opt out of the beta program if you no longer want to play the beta.
Why don't I see the update (yet)?
It may sometimes take a while before you see the update on your device. This has to do with the fact that Apple is rolling out these updates in phases. You can read about this in this article: This is why iOS updates take longer to install automatically. If you still can't update iOS after a while, read our article about iOS installation issues.
Please note: Keep answers on topic, concrete and clear to others. Personal status updates about whether the download has started/successfully add nothing to the discussion. It may also take a little longer before the update becomes visible. You don't have to report this either. These comments will be deleted.
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