More than a week after the release of iOS 17, Apple has begun public testing of the first big update. The first beta of iOS 17.1 arrived to developers on September 27, 2023.
Several iOS 17’s big features are scheduled to be released this fall, so they will come in these updates. Collaborative playlists are coming to Apple Music, the new Journal app, PDF form autofill, NameDrop on Apple Watch, and more. Additionally, Apple often makes some interface changes and adds minor unannounced features in these updates, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the first iOS 17 updates.
Updated 10/23/23: The third beta of iOS 17.1 is now available for developers. We will update this article as new features are discovered.
New features in iOS 17.1
Here are some of the things discovered in the iOS 17.1 beta releases.
Ringtones and text tones: All of new ringtones and text tones included in iOS 17 were missing in the first beta of iOS 17.1, but returned in the second beta.
Standby settings: There are now settings for the display to automatically turn off StandBy (when the room is dark), after 20 seconds, or never.
Double tap for Apple Watch: The Double Tap gesture for Apple Watch Series 9 was added in watchOS 10.1 (Beta 2 and later). In the Watch app in iOS 17.1 you have some options to control its behavior.
Favorites in Apple Music: Instead of “liking” content in Apple Music, you can now “favorite” songs, artists, albums, and playlists. Your favorites will be added to your library and included in song suggestions.
Continue AirDrops on the Internet: The first beta of iOS 17.1 adds the promised feature to allow AirDrop transfers to continue over the Internet if you walk away from someone before the transfer completes.
Generic graphics for Apple Music playlists: When you edit your playlist in Apple Music, you’ll find a selection of generic illustrations to apply to it if you don’t want to take a photo or use four randomly selected pieces of album art.
iOS 17.1: how to install the public beta
If you want to be among the first to test iOS 17, you can sign up for the public beta test. THE process for installing a beta version it changed in iOS 16.4. Here’s how the new process works now:
Click Sign up on Apple Beta page and sign up with your Apple ID. Access the Beta software program. Click Register your iOS device. Open the Settings app, tap GeneralThen Software update. In the Beta updates section, select the iOS public beta.
It may take a few moments after registration for the beta option to appear Software update.
Public beta testing for iOS 17 began on July 12, and we suggest most users wait for it: As buggy as public betas can be, early developer betas of major new OS releases are often even more bug-prone and incomplete.
iOS 17.1: how to install the developer beta
You will need to be registered as an Apple developer. Starting with iOS 17, you don’t need to participate in the $99 per year developer program to access the developer beta. A free developer account will be fine. You can get one through Xcode or the Apple Developer app in iOS. Here’s how to do it via the Apple Developer app:
Download the Apple Developer App from the App Store. Open the application. Tap Accounts. Sign in using your usual Apple ID.
If you want to sell apps on the App Store you will have to pay $99/£79 per year for a paid account. Sign up for the Apple Developer Program (Here) or via Apple’s developer app. You can Compare free and paid accounts here.
Registered developers can choose to get the public beta instead by selecting iOS Public Beta on the Software Update screen. It may take some time after you register as a developer for the option to appear in Software Updates.
Some developers have an Apple ID registered for developer access that is different from the Apple ID associated with their account and personal Apple data. To use a different Apple ID for beta sign-in than the one used in the rest of iOS, open Settings > General > Software update > Beta updates and select your Apple ID at the bottom of the screen.
Find out everything you need to know about iOS 17 in our iOS 17 super guide.
