The Beta of iOS 17.6 is already out, and it is very light. There aren’t any notable new features, and it’s just a simple bug fixes update.
On iOS 17.5 and iOS 17.5.1, there’s a bug with cellular reception. Your phone randomly disconnects from the internet despite ample signal strength, and the bug requires a restart to fix. The overall reception is also much worse, according to many users. It’s a software issue since the reception was perfectly fine before.
We don’t know which bugs Apple has exactly addressed with the iOS 17.6 update. However, we’re hoping the connectivity and signals are better now.
The public iOS 17.6 build will launch really soon, as the beta version has been around for a while. Beta users haven’t reported any experience-breaking bugs so far, so Apple will give the version the green light for public launch over the next couple of days.
The build number of iOS 17.6 is supposedly 21G79. According to 9To5Mac, this information comes from undisclosed sources. The information comes from a reliable leaker with decent accuracy- though the account is private, so we do not know the exact source. Apparently, the account has a reliable track record of sharing information about iOS updates many times.
Reports from a while ago said that the iOS 17.5.2 version was scrapped completely. The report comes from the same private account. iOS 17.5.2 was scrapped in favor of launching iOS 17.6. Since both of them are very light bug fixes and security updates, the nomenclature remains largely irrelevant.
The one new feature on the iOS 17.6 Beta is “Catch up.” Those who watch the MLS can catch up on the game later on. Even if you joined late, you can “catch up” via its curated highlights. That is the only new feature, and it’s more of an application update than a software feature.
Beta testing for iOS 17.6 began a while after the first developer Beta for iOS 18 went live. Since the launch of iOS 18 is approaching, the final few versions of iOS “17.x” will remain largely featureless. They’ll patch up any major bugs and some security updates here and there.
iOS 18 will debut on all iPhones, alongside the launch of the iPhone 16 series. The iPhone 16 series is mostly an iterative upgrade, judging from the leaks.
iOS 18 carries lots of new features. You can place apps anywhere you want; there are new dark mode icons, app icon themes similar to Material You, a complete redesign to the Control Center, which is now customizable, Apple Intelligence for the iPhone 15 Pro (& up), and more. iOS 18 supports all iPhones beginning from the iPhone XR & XS.
