Apple stops signing iOS 17.3 after 17.3.1 release

Image: Apple

Apple has stopped signing iOS 17.3, meaning downgrading to this version from the newer version iOS 17.3.1 is no longer possible. If you're running iOS 17.4 beta, you can downgrade to 17.3.1 but no longer to 17.3.

Released on January 22, iOS 17.3 brought notable features like Stolen Device Protection for iPhones. It requires Face ID/Touch ID for actions like changing the Apple ID password or disabling Find My. It also introduced collaborative Apple Music playlists. Meanwhile, the newer iOS 17.3.1, released on February 8, addressed a bug causing unexpected text duplication or overlaps while typing.

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Apple is moving the End Call button on the iPhone

Screenshot: Gizmodo

Prepare to retrain your thumb in the coming month. Apple is introducing a minor but noticeable change to the iPhone’s software that will affect muscle memory. The prominent red “end call” button is relocating. The iPhone’s phone app will receive a series of updates in iOS 17, including a redesigned interface that moves the hang-up button to the bottom right corner of the screen, adjacent to other functions.

The button currently occupies a separate space at the bottom center of the phone app. It used to be below the buttons for mute, keypad, or add a call. The new call screen is already accessible for download in a beta version for developers. The change is likely intended to simplify the appearance of the phone app and consolidate all functions in one area. 

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Apple introduces bilingual Siri, full-page screenshots and more in iOS 17 beta

Image: Apple

Apple has launched the first public beta versions of iOS 17, iPadOS 17 and macOS Sonoma, bringing new features that enhance the user experience. Some features include bilingual Siri, full-page screenshots, and better SMS sorting for dual-SIM users.

Bilingual support for Sir allows users to ask questions in a mix of English and one of the selected Indic languages. For example, users can speak to Siri in both English and Hindi or English and Telugu, Punjabi, Kannada, or Marathi. This feature is helpful for India-based users who often use more than one language in their daily conversations. Apple is catching up with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, which introduced multilingual support in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

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Apple’s iOS 17 will stop autocorrecting swear words with machine learning

If you have ever typed a four-letter expletive word on your iPhone and seen it replaced by a duck emoji, you might be happy to hear that Apple is changing its autocorrect feature. The company announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday that its upcoming iOS 17 software will use a new machine learning technology to make autocorrect more accurate and personalized. And yes, it won't autocorrect *that* word anymore.

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