iOS 17.6 Features: Everything New in iOS 17.6
Apple released iOS 17.6 on Monday, July 29, marking the sixth update to the iOS 17 operating system that came out last September. iOS 17.6 does not include outward-facing features and mainly focuses on security improvements.
According to Apple's security support document, iOS 17.6 addresses a long list of exploits and vulnerabilities, so it's a good idea to install the new software right away.
There were issues with Family Sharing, images, the Phone app, Photos storage, Shortcuts, Siri, VoiceOver, and WebKit, and Apple's fixes are detailed on its website. A bug with Family Sharing, for example, could leak sensitive location information to apps, while an image bug could allow a maliciously crafted file to terminate an app and a kernel bug could allow a local attacker to cause an unexpected system shutdown.
None of these issues were known to be actively exploited in the wild, but it is still important to keep your devices up to date. There are iOS 15.8.3 and iOS 16.7.9 security updates for devices that are not able to be updated to iOS 17.
Some of these same security fixes were implemented across Apple's other platforms, with Apple also releasing iPadOS 17.6, tvOS 17.6, watchOS 10.6, and macOS Sonoma 14.6.
Popular Stories
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series in the fall, and a possible September 10 announcement date has been floated this year, which means we are just one month away from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design...
Apple's M3 MacBook Pro is seeing multiple high value discounts on Best Buy and Amazon today, with up to $1,000 off select models. This includes a new all-time low price on the entry-level M3 512GB 14-inch MacBook Pro at $1,299.00, down from $1,599.00, and a massive $1,000 discount on the high-end 16-inch model exclusively for Best Buy members. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best...
Multiple rumors have suggested that the iPhone 16 models are going to have an all-new button that's designed to make it easier to capture photos when the devices are held in landscape mode. Apple calls the button the Capture Button internally, and it is going to be one of the most advanced buttons that's been introduced to date with support for multiple gestures and the ability to respond to ...
Apple is beta testing iOS 18 and the first update to iOS 18 concurrently, and we got the second betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 today alongside the sixth betas of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia 15. Many of the changes in iOS 18.1 are focused on bringing the .1 betas in line with the standard betas, which recently received updates to Photos and Safari, while...
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
Apple's rumored iPhone 17 "Slim" could be positioned as an iPhone "Air" to boost sales, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained how the "fourth" model in the iPhone lineup since 2020 (the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone 15 Plus) has largely been a commercial failure. In the case of the Plus model,...
