iOS 17.3 Could Bring These New Features to Your iPhone Soon

Apple released the iOS 17.3 release candidate to public beta testers and developers on Wednesday, about a week after the tech giant released iOS 17.3 beta 3. The latest update brings a few new features, like Stolen Device Protection, as well as bug fixes to the iPhones of beta testers and developers.

We recommend downloading the RC only on something other than your primary device. Since this isn’t the final version of iOS 17.3, these features might be buggy and battery life may be short, and it’s best to keep those troubles on a secondary device.

If you’re a developer or public beta tester, here are some of the new features you can find in the iOS 17.3 RC. Note that the RC isn’t the final version of iOS 17.3, so these might not be the only new features to land on your iPhone when iOS 17.3 is released. There’s no word on the public release for iOS 17.3 just yet, but Apple could release the update to the general public next week.

Stolen Device Protection

Apple introduced Stolen Device Protection in iOS 17.3 beta 1, which aims to help protect you and the data on your iPhone. Here’s what Apple writes about the new feature:

Testing is now available for Stolen Device Protection. This new feature adds an additional layer of security in the unlikely case that someone has stolen your phone and also obtained your passcode.

• Accessing your saved passwords requires Face ID to be sure it’s you.

• Changing sensitive settings like your Apple ID password is protected by a security delay.

• No delay is required when iPhone is at familiar locations such as work and home.

According to CNET’s David Lumb, Stolen Device Protection requires you to enter your biometric authentication, like Face ID and Touch ID, multiple times to access some of your sensitive settings and information. This is an optional security feature, but Apple recommends everyone turn it on.

Once you’ve updated your iPhone, it should prompt you to enable Stolen Device Protection. If you didn’t see a prompt or you skipped it for later, you can turn the feature on by going to Settings Face ID and Passcode and tapping Turn On Protection under Stolen Device Protection.

Read more: Apple’s New iOS 17 Security Feature Blocks Opportunistic iPhone Thieves

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