A new Apple security feature helps users find out if someone is secretly tracking them over Bluetooth, one of many critical updates released as part of iOS 17.5 on Monday.
The company’s new iPhone operating system update also introduced more word games to Apple News+, making it more like a traditional newspaper, as well as robust security improvements to Apple’s Maps, Notes and Search apps.
The update arrived alongside a wide series of updates for almost all of Apple’s hardware operating systems, from macOS Sonoma 14.5 on its desktops and laptops, to tvOS 17.5 for its Apple TV boxes.
But iPhone iOS 17.5 protects one of the most critical systems that customers will want to update if they want to limit their exposure to clandestine spying risks.
iOS 17.5’s new cross-platform tracking protection notifications will now alert users “if a compatible Bluetooth tracker that doesn’t belong to them is moving with them, regardless of the operating system the device is paired with,” according to the company.
A new Apple security feature helps users find out if someone is secretly tracking them over Bluetooth, one of many critical updates released as part of iOS 17.5 this Monday.
The company’s new iPhone operating system update also introduces more word games to Apple News+, making it more like a traditional newspaper, as well as robust security improvements to Apple’s Maps, Notes and Voice Control apps.
Previously, Apple had already issued updated protections to prevent its AirTag system, which is designed to help users find lost items, such as car keys, from being abused for so-called AirTag stalking.
The new Cross-Platform Tracking Protection promises to implement similar safeguards on a wide variety of devices, including those paired with non-Apple phones.
Apple News+ also saw a host of new features, including the new word game Quartiles, which joins the app’s Crossword and Mini Crossword games – all part of the Cupertino-based tech giant’s battle to wrest gamers’ major publications such as the New York Times. owners of the popular games Wordle, Spelling Bee and more.
The news app will now also feature a new ‘Offline Mode’ for those hoping to catch up on the day’s biggest news without the benefit of constant internet access.
The new iOS update also promises a new series of ‘Pride Radiance’ wallpapers to celebrate LGBTQ+ communities, as detailed in Apple’s page for the update..
But the critical new features are, first and foremost, the new security updates in iOS 17.5, of which there were 15 in total. Here are the three most important ones.
One fix addressed a vulnerability that previously allowed malware to access a user’s location through the Find My app.
Another had left sensitive location information in Apple Maps exposed to any malicious applications designed to interact with the navigation software.
And a third would have helped hackers access the Notes app from an iPhone user’s lock screen, if a thief had gained physical access to the device.
“If you believe you have discovered a security or privacy vulnerability in an Apple product,” Apple advised in its new release, “learn how to submit your investigation.”
The company later linked to its security or privacy reporting page.
