iOS 17.2 Beta 1 is here: Journal app, Apple Music Updates and more

Apple sure knows how to keep people hooked. Just a few hours after the global release of the iOS 17.1 update, it released the iOS 17.2 Beta 1 update for developers, teasing the world with exciting features that will soon be coming to their iPhones. While the iOS 17.1 update didn't add any new standalone features, iOS 17.2 will be very different. In the first beta alone, Apple said many new features, including the highly anticipated Journal app. Apple also introduced sticker reactions in iMessage, a new translation feature for the action button, and much more. Let's take a closer look.

iOS 17.2 Beta 1 is Released

It should be noted that iOS 17.2 Beta 1 is a developer release and is not yet available to public beta testers. It is expected to be delivered to them in approximately a week. The iOS 17.2 update should be publicly available in late November or early December.

Journal app: Apple announced it during its WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) 2023 as a new app, similar to Evernote, where users can write journal entries, take notes, and use it in many other ways. Tap the "+" button in the Journal app to make a journal entry. After that, you can choose a suggested topic to start writing or go to "New Entry" to jot down your mind. These entries may have photos, voice recordings, and location tags.

Translate on Action Button: Those who own the iPhone 15 Pro and ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ Max can now select a new translate feature for the action button. Setting the action button to translate will allow you to press and hold the button to activate a translation window on your iPhone. This window is designed to capture spoken text and seamlessly translate it between the languages you have set up in the Translate app.

Sticker Reaction in iMessage: Another exciting feature that will debut in the developer version of iOS 17.2 Beta 1 is sticker reactions. It is presented as an alternative to tapback responses, and now, along with emojis, you can also choose stickers to add to the side of the message. Using it is pretty simple. Long-press a message bubble, and the option should appear. You can already do this by dragging an emoji or sticker into a conversation.

Apple Music Updates: Apple Music gets more updates. First, you now have playlists that multiple people can add songs to. It's called a collaborative playlist, and you can find the option for this within the playlist within the three-dot menu. Generate a link to the playlist, and anyone with that link can add songs. You can also invite people via a QR code and maintain more control by accepting who has the right to add songs.

Next is the favourite playlist, where all the songs you have marked as favourites will appear. You can find it in the library section. Finally, there's an option to turn off listening history so that when you let someone else play songs through your iPhone, it doesn't affect your recommendations.

Apple TV: In the Apple TV app on your ‌iPhone‌ and iPad, there are no longer separate Movies & TV Shows tabs in the Store section. It appears to be due to a major redesign of the app.

iMessage Contact Key Verification: iMessage Contact Key Verification was first introduced in December 2022 as a feature for those facing "extraordinary digital threats," such as journalists, human rights activists, and government officials. Such users can enable the Contact Verification Code to verify that they are speaking to the right person during in-person meetings and FaceTime calls.

Messages in iCloud: In your Settings app in iCloud, the "Messages" section has been renamed "Messages in ‌iCloud‌." When you go there, you can see how much space your messages are using, how many messages are synced with ‌iCloud‌, and the time of the last sync. And if you're in a hurry to update things, there's a nifty "Sync Now" option to give you a little nudge.

Local awareness of emergency alerts: This feature is not yet applicable in India, but users can now turn on local awareness of emergency alerts in the Notifications menu of the Settings app. It will use your location data to provide timely and more accurate alerts.

Weather Widget: Apple has also introduced new weather widgets. You will now see widgets for daily forecasts and sunrise and sunset forecasts. A Details widget also shows the probability of precipitation, UV index, wind speed, and air quality information.

Digital Clock Widget: A new digital clock widget has also been added for your home and lock screens.

Contact Poster: Rainbow-colored text has been added to the Contact Poster for your name.

Book Page Turning Animation: The Books app has added a quick fade animation for turning book pages.