iOS 17.6 on its way: probably this week

After a beta phase, Apple is preparing iOS 17.6 for download. The other operating systems will also receive an update.

iOS 17 was first released in September 2023.

(Image: Apple)

Jul 22, 2024 at 4:22 pm CEST

2 min. read

Mac & i

By

Ben Schwan

This article was originally published in German and has been automatically translated.

Apple is said to be close to releasing iOS 17.6. As 9to5Mac reported on Sunday evening, the release is "imminent", which means that it could come this week - possibly on Monday or Tuesday. The build number is said to be 21G79. Other updates for other Apple systems are also expected in the near future.

It gets more exciting later

Apple is said to have considered releasing iOS 17.5.2 in the meantime, but then decided to switch to iOS 17.6 straight away. Beta tests of iOS 17.6 and co. have been running since June, with beta 4 currently available. So far, all that is known is that the Apple TV application will have a new "Catch Up" feature for subscribers to Apple's Major League Soccer soccer series, which allows you to watch highlights from the US league. Otherwise, bug fixes and especially security fixes are to be expected.

iOS 17 is already well advanced, so all the main functions have been published. Apple is currently concentrating on iOS 18, a public beta version of which was released for the first time last week. People are currently waiting for Apple to finally release parts of its AI features for testing. It is expected that initially only developers will be allowed to test, and there could also be a waiting list for Apple Intelligence.

Boring updates are also important

It can be assumed that Apple will release iOS 17.6 together with macOS 14.6, iPadOS 17.6, tvOS 17.6, watchOS 10.6 and a new HomePod OS software 10.6. Here, too, there is hardly any information about major new features; Apple is focusing on bug fixes and security fixes.

The beta release notes for macOS 14.6, for example, state that Finder and Core Spotlight bugs have been fixed. For iOS and iPadOS 17.6, Bluetooth bugs, problems in the new MarketplaceKit and in Camera and AVFoundation Capture on the iPad have been fixed. For watchOS 10.6, however, Apple has not announced any new features in the fourth beta version. It is possible that iOS 17.6 and co. are the last releases of this generation - but Apple may still push out bug fix updates before September.

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