Apple Releases Third iOS 17.1 Beta

Apple released the third iOS 17.1 developer and public betas for the iPhone last week, about three weeks after the release of iOS 17. This beta brings a few new features and bug fixes to the iPhones of developers and other beta testers who want to see what’s coming in future iOS releases.

Considerations for Beta Users

We recommend downloading a beta only on something other than your primary device. Since this is a beta version of iOS 17.1, these features might be buggy, and battery life may be short, so it’s best to keep that on a secondary device.

New Features in iOS 17.1 Beta 3

If you’re a developer or public beta tester, here are some new features in iOS 17.1 beta 3. The beta is ongoing, so these might not be the only new features to land on your iPhone when iOS 17.1 is released. There’s no word on the public release for iOS 17.1 just yet.

iPhone 12 Radio Frequency Concerns Addressed

The National Frequency Agency in France said on September 12 that the iPhone 12 exceeds European-specific absorption rate limits, and it appears Apple will address those concerns with iOS 17.1.

New StandBy Mode Settings

StandBy mode is one of my favorite new iOS features, and in iOS 17.1 beta 2, Apple gives the StandBy method more setting options. With iOS 17.1 beta 2, you can turn StandBy mode off after 20 seconds, never, or automatically. Apple writes that if you choose automatically, the display will turn off when your iPhone is not in use and the room is dark, like when you sleep at night.

Apple Music Upgrades

In iOS 17.1 beta 1, Apple added a new button in Apple Music to find your favorite songs quickly. When a song is playing, and you’re looking at its card on your iPhone, there’s a star outline near its title. You can tap this star to add the song to your favorites. Apple Music also shows you song suggestions in iOS 17.1 beta one based on your musical tastes.

AirDrop Using Cellular Data

With iOS 17, Apple upgraded AirDrop with NameDrop, which allows two devices to tap each other and exchange contact information. In the first iOS 17.1 beta, Apple now lets you use cellular data to send and receive information over AirDrop when two iPhones are out of range.

Flashlight Symbol in Live Activities

In iOS 17.1 beta 1, when you turn on your flashlight, a little flashlight symbol appears in the Live Activities feed across the top of the screen. However, this feature likely only works on Live Activity-enabled iPhones.

New Ringtones Are Back

When Apple released iOS 17, it included all-new ringtones and text tones. Apple then removed those sounds with iOS 17.1 beta 1, but the ringtones and text tones appear to be back with iOS 17.1 beta 2.

Summary

Those are some of the significant new features developers and beta testers will see in the third iOS 17.1 beta. That doesn’t mean these are the only features coming to the next iOS update or that these changes will stick when iOS 17.1 is released to the public.