iOS 17.3 releases next week: 3 key features on the way

Apple's new iOS 17.3 is going to be released to the public next week and, as always, it will include plenty of features that folks are sure to love, hate, or completely miss out on — including Stolen Device Protection, collaborative Apple Music playlists, and a Unity Bloom wallpaper for your Lock Screen, according to Mac Rumors and TechCrunch.

When does iOS 17.3 drop?

We don't have an exact date, but iOS 17.3 will likely come out on Tuesday, January 23, Forbes reported.

What are some iOS 17.3 features to know about?

Glad you asked! We've broken down some of the key new features below.

Stolen Device Protection

Stolen Device Protection is the most exciting of the updates, if you ask me, and, well, just about anyone else. As The Wall Street Journal reported last year, bad actors can watch you type in your passcode over your shoulder at, say, a bar or on the train. Then, when they steal your phone, it's that much easier for them to open your device, snoop through your phone, turn off Find My, take full control of the device, and leave you phoneless, helpless, and so sad. Stolen Device Protection is an extra layer of security to help stop that from happening. 

When you have Stolen Device Protection turned on, Face ID or Touch ID authentication is required, meaning even if someone steals your phone and knows your passcode, they won't be able to unlock it without your face or fingers. The feature also adds a one-hour security delay for particularly sensitive actions, like changing your Apple ID account password, unless you're at a familiar location like your home. You can turn it on and off by navigating to settings, clicking Face ID & Passcode, and then choosing Stolen Device Protection.

Collaborative Apple Music playlists

Apple is also launching collaborative Apple Music playlists. This is far less exciting because it's months behind Spotify and was initially promised for iOS 17, but was never delivered.

The feature lets Apple Music subscribers add multiple people to a playlist who can add, reorder, and remove songs. They can also leave emoji reactions next to playlist songs, which is pretty cute and is not a feature Spotify has. Look at that! Envy from a Spotify user! To use this feature, click on the person-shaped icon in a playlist, copy the link, and add people. If you want to approve every song that gets added, you have that power — and you can turn collaboration on and off whenever you want.

Unity Bloom wallpaper

The final new feature (that we know of) will be the Unity Bloom wallpaper for the iPhone and iPad and the watch face on the Apple Watch. It includes red, green, and yellow flowers that can actually bloom, "inspired by the resilience and beauty of the Black community," Apple wrote.